There is something of a small star of redemption in the troubled sky that is our modern world, in that I can say that one of the few constants on this changing journey through countries, climates and cultures, has been the enduring kindness of strangers. Generosity has stretched from directions to accommodation, and from camping in gardens, to refreshments for a weary walker. This indeed includes the generous response to the appeal for funds for St Wilfrid’s leaking roof – from people known and unknown to me. I have been truly humbled.
It might be easy for someone to make the journey on foot to Rome, and come to the conclusion that in Europe, Christianity is failing. Churches are often locked; congregations often thin; and the echoes of a less secular past are found in the many ruins that dot the landscape.
Yet, I would cite this redeeming kindness, as evidence of the unmitigated success of Christianity, irrespective of its various denominations. Christianity and its values are alive and well, preserved in the small actions and the cultures of this truly hospitable continent.
