A thousand join Blessed Sacrament procession through London

A group of Mother Teresa's Sisters

Traffic came to standstill in London on Saturday, when around a thousand people, singing hymns and praying the Rosary, accompanied the Blessed Sacrament in procession from Westminster Cathedral to St George's Cathedral, Southwark. The Procession marked the first anniversary of the beatification of Blessed John Henry Newman and the Holy Father's visit to Britain and was a vivid witness to the reality of the presence of Christ in London.

Bishop Alan Hopes, Auxiliary Bishop in Westminster, carried the Blessed Sacrament and gave Benediction at St George's Cathedral. It took more than 15 minutes for the crowds to enter St Georges.

The two cathedrals are thought to be the closest Catholic cathedrals in the world. They are just 1.31 miles apart as the crow flies. And, strangely, although the Southwark diocese is south of the Thames and the Westminster diocese is north of the Thames, St George's Cathedral is further north than Westminster Cathedral due to a bend in the river.

Source: Southwark Diocese/ICN