Orange Order denounces planned papal visit: The Church of England Newspaper, April 1, 2010 p 6.

First published in The Church of England Newspaper.

The Orange Order has denounced the planned state visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Britain, saying that by receiving the Pope in his official capacity, the British government was recognizing the theological claims of Rome.

In a statement released on March 24, the Grand Lodge of Ireland of the Orange Order said the “Pope claims himself to be the vicar of Christ on earth, a title which assumes supreme and universal supremacy both in honour and jurisdiction over all – church, state, the world. Any who would welcome him are in danger of appearing to acknowledge his primacy and universal supremacy in all of these matters.”

The Protestant fraternal organization asked that its members “pray for a visitation to our land, not by the vicar of Christ, the holy father, as the Pope claims himself to be, but by the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit.

Benedict’s visit, however, would be an opportunity for Protestants to see the errors of Rome, the Grand Lodge noted. “We take this opportunity to call on all the people of our land to examine the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, especially on the matter of eternal salvation, and to see that the teaching of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church is at total variance with the Biblical message that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone,” it said.

The Grand Lodge called upon all Orangemen to “demonstrate their opposition to the Pope’s visit to England and Scotland, and to oppose any future invitation to visit Northern Ireland.

Founded in September 1795, following a clash between Protestants and Catholics in County Armagh, in what became known as the ‘Battle of the Diamond,’ the Orange Order has attracted criticism from the Catholic community in Northern Ireland, who tend to regard its parades and annual “Twelfth of July” demonstrations to commemorate the victory of the Protestant William of Orange over the Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 as sectarian and triumphalistic.

The order’s response to its critics is that they support the same freedoms and religious liberties for others that they seek for themselves.

In a statement given to The Church of England Newspaper on March 29, the Archbishop of Armagh, Dr Alan Harper noted that Benedict “comes to Great Britain at the invitation of the United Kingdom government. He should therefore be accorded all the respect and courtesy customarily extended to a visiting Head of State.

“He also comes as the spiritual leader of a church with many adherents in the United Kingdom and his visit should be welcomed as offering pastoral and spiritual encouragement to the Roman Catholic community of Great Britain as well as an opportunity for renewed dialogue and spiritual reflection between Roman Catholics and other denominations, including Anglicans.”

The Primate of All-Ireland added that he was “unaware of any current plans for a papal visit to Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland but it is my prayer that mutual respect and tolerance may govern all relationships between the Churches in Ireland as we seek to build a reconciled and peaceful society.”