Pope Benedict XVI has finished his landmark visit to Great Britain.
On September 19, he beatified the 19th-century Anglican convert Cardinal John Henry Newman before celebrating mass on his fourth and final day of his visit.
In his first beautification since taking office, the 83-year-old pontiff addressed some 50,000 pilgrims who had gathered for the open air mass in the central city of Birmingham.
Beatification, in which the deceased person is given the title "blessed," is a step toward full canonization.
Newman, a leading thinker of his day, left the Anglican Church and converted to Roman Catholicism in 1845.
compiled from agency reports
On September 19, he beatified the 19th-century Anglican convert Cardinal John Henry Newman before celebrating mass on his fourth and final day of his visit.
In his first beautification since taking office, the 83-year-old pontiff addressed some 50,000 pilgrims who had gathered for the open air mass in the central city of Birmingham.
Beatification, in which the deceased person is given the title "blessed," is a step toward full canonization.
Newman, a leading thinker of his day, left the Anglican Church and converted to Roman Catholicism in 1845.
compiled from agency reports
