Scottish Catholic Observer

A message from Pope Benedict XVI led Catholic tributes to Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her diamond jubilee this week.

A letter from the Holy Father to the Queen was read out at a service of thanksgiving in Rome on Tuesday, the final day of celebrations for her diamond jubilee. The service at All Saints Anglican Church was attended by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, Cardinal George Pell of Sydney, Australia, religious leaders from many different Christian denominations and ambassadors from countries around the world.

“During the past 60 years you have offered to your subjects and to the whole world an inspiring example… in keeping with a noble vision of the role of a Christian monarch.” the Pope said in his message.

“I retain warm memories of the gracious welcome accorded to me by Your Majesty at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh at the beginning of my Apostolic Visit to the United Kingdom in September 2010… Your personal commitment to cooperation and mutual respect between the followers of different religious traditions has contributed in no small measure to improving ecumenical and inter-religious relations throughout your realms.”

Edinburgh

Britain’s most senior Catholic clergyman Cardinal Keith O’Brien also paid tribute to the Queen on her diamond jubilee. The president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland celebrated Mass in St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh on Trinity Sunday as Catholics at Masses across Scotland prayed for the Queen.

“We might say that many of Queen Elizabeth II’s personal actions—in her visits with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, to successive Popes in Rome; her very warm welcome to Pope John Paul II when he was on his pastoral visit to the United Kingdom in 1982; her actions in hosting the historic State Visit of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010;  and her healing State Visit to Ireland—they all have set us a perfect example of how we must come together,” the cardinal said.

The cardinal praised the service the Queen has given over 60 years.

Glasgow

Glasgow’s Catholics were also directed to pray for the Queen by Archbishop Mario Conti, and parishes across the city and the archdiocese paused before the final blessing as they asked God to ‘be with all earthly leaders, and especially with your servant, Elizabeth, as she celebrates her diamond jubilee as our Queen.’

London celebrations

Cardinal O’Brien was also present in St Paul’s Cathedral in London on Tuesday for the national service of Thanksgiving, attended by leading political figures and senior dignitaries. Among the religious leaders present were senior Catholic clergy Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster and Cardiff’s Archbishop George Stack.

Pic: Paul McSherry. Cardinal O’Brien also celebrated the jubilee by attending the Diamond Jubilee Flower Festival at St Joseph’s Church in Burntisland, Fife. Among the displays by parishioners was ‘Jubilee Exhibition’ created by Nan Kelly and Michelle Pellow, with pupils from local primary schools and St Joseph’s parish, featuring regalia from the Queen’s reign. Parish priest Fr Paul Capaldi lent a helping hand to Cardinal O’Brien on the day.