Certainly that was the buzz here on FR. Will it or won't it?
So what is it, FReepers? Did the Pope's visit turn out to be a damp squib?
Doesn't matter if it was or wasn't (in my opinion). This isn't a one-shot deal. This has to be the opening shot of a war to reclaim Britain to the faith.
I'm not catholic either. Thats ok; you guys work your side of the street and we'll work ours and we'll celebrate when we meet in the middle. Its one battle. When its done we'll buy you a beer and you can buy us a soda.
On the somewhat superficial level of butts on seats, media reaction and people cheering in the streets it was definitely not a damp squib. However, I'm not sure what, if anything, this means.
The real outcome of this visit will not be immediately obvious and it will depend on longer term issues; whether the powers-that-be take to heart his warnings about the place of religion in the public square, whether Catholic bishops get with the game plan, whether the C of E starts to move toward the Ordinariates, whether Catholics start to return to the practice of their faith etc.
The predictions of a "damp squib" emanated largely from the media and the talking heads who have the happy knack of being wrong about almost everything, so it's no real surprise that their predictions didn't come to pass.
I wouldn’t trust the judgment of anyone who knew what a damp squib was.