THE INDEPENDENT: Pope Benedict XVI praised the UK as a "force for good" today as he arrived for a historic visit.
But he also delivered a warning about "aggressive forms of secularism" when he urged the nation not to lose its traditional values as it "strives to be a modern and multicultural society".
The pontiff was officially welcomed by the Queen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh for the first papal state visit to the UK.
In a speech at the palace, delivered in English, the Pope spoke of the UK's important place in history.
He said: "Your forefathers' respect for truth and justice, for mercy and charity, come to you from a faith that remains a mighty force for good in your kingdom, to the great benefit of Christians and non-Christians alike."
He cited anti-slave campaigners William Wilberforce and David Livingstone, and women such as Florence Nightingale, as examples of that force for good.
And he praised Britain's fight against Hitler's "atheist extremism", saying that "Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live".
The Pope, who was forced to join the Hitler Youth as a 14-year-old schoolboy, said the UK remained "a key figure politically and economically on the international stage".
"Your Government and people are the shapers of ideas that still have an impact far beyond the British Isles. This places upon them a particular duty to act wisely for the common good."
And, referring to the future, he delivered an apparent warning about the risks to the nation's traditional values.
He said: "Today, the United Kingdom strives to be a modern and multicultural society.
"In this challenging enterprise, may it always maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate." >>> PA | Thursday, September 16, 2010
