Background on Pope Benedict's allusions during visit

Here is background on some of the allusions Pope Benedict made during his visit to Scotland and England:

• Pope Benedict referred to the significance of the name of Queen Elizabeth Palace in Edinburgh: Holyroodhouse (Holy Cross House)--the history of the Abbey connected with the palace is rather complex: it was damaged during Henry VIII's Rough Wooing when Mary of Scotland was betrothed to the Dauphin of France instead of to Edward, Henry's young heir; it was further demolished during the Scottish Reformation; James II/VII built a royal chapel there, which was then destroyed during the Glorious Revolution; the roof fell in during the 18th century and the ruins remain there today.


• The word Rood could also remind us that before the English Reformation, Rood Screens were common in churches and chapels, with statuary depicting Jesus on the cross with his mother Mary and St. John on either side.


• The University of St. Andrews was founded by Pope Benedict XIII via Papal Bull while he was in Avignon, in 1413--the University will celebrate its 600th anniversary in 2013.


• Both the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope emphasized saints both Anglicans and Catholics reverence: Pope St. Gregory the Great; the Venerable Bede, St. Edmund the Confessor, and St. Benedict of Nursia