Background
On 17th September 2010 Pope Benedict XVI addressed the religious leaders of the United Kingdom in the Waldegrave Drawing Room of St Mary’s University during his historic visit to the country.
Having specifically asked for this meeting, His Holiness reiterated one of the key themes of his papacy, that ‘the quest for the sacred is the search for the one thing necessary, which alone satisfies the longings of the human heart.’
Building upon the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and those of his predecessor, Blessed Pope Paul VI, especially his encyclical Ecclesiam Suam, he stressed the need for dialogue between people of faith and those of none and the role of faith at the heart of our cultural, political and social lives.
St Mary's Lecture 2015
To mark the fifth anniversary of this historic event St Mary’s was delighted to host the Inaugural St Mary’s Lecture on 4th November 2015, given by His All Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of New Rome Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch.
His All Holiness' lecture was entitled: Religion in Dialogue- The Importance and Imperative of Dialogue in Our World
The lecture was followed by a vote of thanks from the Vice-Chancellor of St Mary’s University, Francis Campbell at which His All Holiness was presented with the St Mary’s Pope Benedict XVI medal.