Pope ‘will visit’ in spite of protest

Press, 15 March 1982, Page 9

Pope ‘will visit’ in spite of protest

NZPA-Reuter Liverpool Pope John Paul’s proposed visit to Britain in May will proceed in spite of threats from militant Protestants to disrupt his preaching, ac- . cording to the organisers of the visit. ' ?•; Protestants who' were angry about the Pope’s proposed visit shouted down the - Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Robert Runcie, when he tried to address the congregation of a Liverpool church on Thursday. About 150 demonstrators accused Dr Runcie, the head of the Anglican Church, of being a traitor to Protestantism because he had agreed to the Pope’s visit. Dr Runcie was forced to abandon his address. Church leaders in Liverpool said that the anti-Pope demonstration would not disrupt moves towards Christian unity. In a joint statement, the Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, David Sheppard, and the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Liverpool, Derek Worlock, said, “There must be no going back and no retaliation.

"None who witnessed the ugly scenes in the Liverpool Parish Church will wish to see. >.any return to the disputes of, former days, >\yWe deeply regret the affront E given to > Archbishop Runcie yesterday when he was denied the opportunity to preach God’s word; There is a propdr place for honest debate between Christians but it should always be conducted in a Christian manner. “We believe that the sad occasions of this last week will serve to strengthen commitment to the cause of Christian unity, which has brought reconciliation to Liverpool in recent years.” A British daily newspaper, “The Guardian," said that the demonstration against Dr Runcie had been “the bitterest outbreak of sectarian rivalry in a church building in this country in recent years.” Liverpool has a big Irish community and Northern Ireland’s Protestants have a history of intense opposition to the Roman Catholic Church.