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PAST OR GENERAL'S REPORT, JUNE 4, 1982
PAGE 11
Personal magnetism of that magnitude is not encountered from the
box every day.
The Pope has a rare, compelling capacity to
attract all eyes to him as he moves, slightly stooped, infinitely
generous, occasionally amused through the baby-kissing walk
abouts and the dramatic rituals of his exalted office. All those
banal, breathless descriptions ("the first popstar Pope," "the
superstar Pope," etc.) have suddenly taken on some kind of sub
stance.
He is beyond doubt or dispute uniquely charismatic,
reducing even the richly-costumed cardinals and high clerics
around him to a kind of glum chorus line anonymity. There is only
one leading man in this show. And what a show it is. I found
myself glued to the great mass at Wembley [Stadium] on Saturday
afternoon from beginning to end--an event of astonishing theatri
cality•••• [Critic Kretzmer had one major criticism however. He
did not like the boxy-looking popemobile, about which he com
mented:]
Something more inspiring, less clinical, was called for--a golden
coach perhaps--to bring that grand affair to a fitting conclu
sion, though such was the heightened emotion of the Wembley con
gregation that only a magic carpet would perhaps have filled the
bill••••! mean no disrespect to the Catholic Church when I say
they certainly know how to put on a show. Pity about that car.
Explanation of Holy Spirit Attempted
One thing too, about the Pope's visit to England and Scotland (he also
visited Wales) that impressed me were the many and continual references to
the Holy Spirit. This was only natural, I suppose, as the trip occurred at
the time of Pentecost, or as it is commonly referred to in the Catholic and
Protestant worlds, Whitsunday.
In his speech at Canterbury the Pope referred to the Holy Spirit as being
the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of unity, and he certainly made a great
occasion of the time frame of his visit. Then in his address to the young
people of Edinburgh, the Pope said this: " This is the one same Holy Spirit
who came to you at baptism and again with increased vigor at·confirmation,
precisely to prepare and fortify you for the challenge of life. Not one of
you is without him. No one must ever feel alone. The spirit of the Lord
has been given to you."
Then the Pope attempted to explain what the Holy Spirit is, although he
admitted his audience would have difficulty in understanding it. He con
tinued, "Who is this Holy Spirit? He is God himself. The third person of
the Blessed Trinity. He is sent to each of us by the Father and the Son.
He is their greatest gift and he remains constantly with us. He abides in
us. We have difficulty in forming a concept of the Holy Spirit in our
mind.
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It is obvious that by trying to explain the Holy Spirit in the context of a
person as part of the Trinity, that no one (as he said) can really under
stand the true nature of God's Spirit. So all the many, many references
that I heard to God's Spirit and phrases such as "stirring up the Spirit of
God," "revealing to all people the love of God" and "the Spirit of God in
you" were completely incomprehensible to the audience. But then again the
people were there to' see a man, not to really receive any knowledge and
instruction.