Pastoral Reflection on the 25th anniversary
of the Papal visit to Scotland

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

Twenty five years ago this summer, the Catholic community of Scotland
welcomed to our country the successor of St Peter in the person of Pope John
Paul II. Few of us who lived through those wonderful, sun-drenched days of
early June 1982 will ever forget the feelings of elation, pride, excitement
and joy which marked every stop on the Holy Father’s brief but memorable
stay in our country.

Our feelings were summed up by the Pope himself, as he paused, unable to
continue with his discourse at Bellahouston Park because of the joyful
cheering of the crowd. Eventually regaining the attention of the faithful
he quipped:

“For several moments the Pope became silent and you became preachers. You
became witnesses that “This is the day made memorable by the Lord – what
immense joy for us!” (Ps 118:24)

After a quarter of a century it seems fitting to reflect on that “day made
memorable by the Lord” and draw new inspiration from the experience of the
Papal Visit.