0:00:05 > 0:00:09Westminster Abbey is a flagship institution.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12It's right there at the centre of national life in this country.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Westminster Abbey is the Coronation Church.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17The Abbey has been the place where people commemorate
0:00:17 > 0:00:19the great men and women of our history.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Here was the origins of Parliament.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24I think of the Abbey as being an upbeat place.
0:00:24 > 0:00:28The most unusual phone call was from Michelle Obama's Secret Service.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31On a standard day we would probably process a thousand people per hour.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Even though we are a massive tourist attraction,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36we still are very much a living church.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Westminster Abbey represents faith at the heart of the nation.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41To think there have been people
0:00:41 > 0:00:43with their eyes turned in the same direction,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46towards worship of God in this place, for over 1,000 years.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49There's a feeling of a really Rolls-Royce musical setup here.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Being the Queen's choristers, we really can't afford to let her down.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Quite a lot I see people crying.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59When you sing, it brings tears of joy AND sadness.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03I do wake up every day and think this is a fantastic place to be.
0:01:03 > 0:01:04It's a thrill even after 17 years.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Can you believe you've got that to look after?
0:01:07 > 0:01:10There's a tremendous sense of being part of something
0:01:10 > 0:01:12that goes back all those hundreds of years.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Magnificent building. I feel like I'm part of history just being here.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Boys, here, come forward just a little bit for me.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33Lovely. Now I can see you.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35I'm going to have the Dean and Chapter in the middle,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37so you're not to join up, OK?
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Founded by Catholic monks in 960AD,
0:01:41 > 0:01:44a church has stood in London on the banks of the Thames
0:01:44 > 0:01:46for over a thousand years.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53Today, it's no longer a monastery, and employs 250 staff
0:01:53 > 0:01:56and 500 volunteers to support 1,500 services
0:01:56 > 0:02:00and over a million visitors a year.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03Boys, best smile out, OK, here we go, looking to me.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Thank you very much.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09That was the one for the police, now the Inland Revenue...
0:02:09 > 0:02:13The history of the Abbey reflects the history of Britain,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15and the seismic rift in the 16th century
0:02:15 > 0:02:18between Catholics and Protestants.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24This summer, the Abbey will be making a historic trip
0:02:24 > 0:02:28to the Vatican, to help heal this centuries-old divide.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30For 1,500 years the Church in England
0:02:30 > 0:02:32was part of the greater western Church,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34the Roman Catholic Church,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37and then 500 years ago it broke away,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40immediately over the divorce of King Henry VIII,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43but then the Elizabethan settlement under Queen Elizabeth.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46There was huge persecution on both sides.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49The Catholic Queen Mary persecuted Protestants.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52So this division took place in great rancour and anger,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55but we never quite lost faith in each other.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57We never stopped seeing each other as churches.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Over the past 50 years, there has been a slow thawing
0:03:03 > 0:03:06of relations between the Church of England and the Vatican.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10In 2010, Benedict XVI became the first Pope
0:03:10 > 0:03:14to make a state visit to a British monarch.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17The congregation here represents the whole of Christianity
0:03:17 > 0:03:20in these islands.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25And the first Pope in history to set foot in Westminster Abbey.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28CHOIR SINGS
0:03:28 > 0:03:30When the Pope came here for the Papal visit,
0:03:30 > 0:03:34one of the things that was evident to me and to all of us
0:03:34 > 0:03:37is that he loved the music.
0:03:37 > 0:03:38And he was obviously very impressed
0:03:38 > 0:03:41with the quality of music that he saw here.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43What we never imagined at the time
0:03:43 > 0:03:47was that it would result in an invitation to the choir
0:03:47 > 0:03:52to go and sing at the Papal Mass
0:03:52 > 0:03:54in St Peter's Church, on St Peter's Day.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Now that is extraordinary.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04The trip to Rome has added significance because St Peter,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08the first Pope, is also the Abbey's patron saint.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10How many of you have been to Rome before?
0:04:13 > 0:04:16The man spearheading the visit is the Abbey's spiritual leader,
0:04:16 > 0:04:17the Dean.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20He's come to the Choir School to talk to the boys.
0:04:20 > 0:04:27This is a thing that has never, ever, ever happened before.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30What you need to bear in mind is that one of the great pains
0:04:30 > 0:04:35for us as Christians is our division from one another.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37We love one another,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and it's important that we show respect for each other's traditions.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43And that out of the pain of separation
0:04:43 > 0:04:47we pray for the peace of reconciliation.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51So our sense of being separate is a pain.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55It's hard for us, but we ought, in that sense of deprivation,
0:04:55 > 0:05:00to be praying for the gift of reconciliation.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03And out of all that will grow a great visit,
0:05:03 > 0:05:08and much more than that, will advance us together
0:05:08 > 0:05:11on that great road towards Christian unity.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13OK?
0:05:13 > 0:05:18So you're engaged in a mission of vastly greater importance
0:05:18 > 0:05:21than you can possibly imagine.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24Hello. Good morning. How nice to see you.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26And you.
0:05:26 > 0:05:27Jonathan Milton. Hello.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29- This is George. - Come on in, George.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32The Abbey Choir School teaches up to 36 boarders
0:05:32 > 0:05:35between the ages of 8 and 13.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38During term-time, they sing eight services every week.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41The standard is high and throughout the year, the master
0:05:41 > 0:05:46of the choristers, James O'Donnell, holds auditions for new recruits.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Voice Trial is a rather awful name really for a series of auditions
0:05:49 > 0:05:51that are designed
0:05:51 > 0:05:54to establish whether a seven-year-old boy
0:05:54 > 0:05:57has what it takes to be a chorister here.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01I am looking for somebody who has a reasonable way of already
0:06:01 > 0:06:04expressing themselves through their voice, through their singing voice.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Who's got a bit of get-up-and-go as well, a bright spark.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Somebody with a bit of resilience,
0:06:11 > 0:06:16maybe a slightly quirky sense of humour or something about them
0:06:16 > 0:06:19that isn't going to mean they're going to stand there like a pudding
0:06:19 > 0:06:23and receive instructions and just reproduce them mechanically.
0:06:23 > 0:06:24I want someone who'll engage.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27OK, lovely. Can you see the music there?
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Take a step back, so I can really hear you properly. Good chap.
0:06:38 > 0:06:44# Oh, for the wings For the wings of a dove
0:06:44 > 0:06:50# Far away, far away would I rove... #
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Lovely.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54George is just one of around 25 boys
0:06:54 > 0:06:56auditioned over the course of a year
0:06:56 > 0:06:58for a possible six places.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01About a year ago
0:07:01 > 0:07:04we met someone who had a nephew at the school.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07So we looked it up on the website,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10and we came to the open day,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12and it all started then, really.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14As we came out, and he said very seriously,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17having been taken off while we were talking to the headmaster,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20he'd been taken off by some of the older boys
0:07:20 > 0:07:22to see the dormitories and the other things.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24And as he came out he said very quietly,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26"I want to go to that school."
0:07:26 > 0:07:28He hasn't changed his mind since.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33And any boy who spent five years here
0:07:33 > 0:07:34as a matter of routine
0:07:34 > 0:07:37producing something which is outstanding every day,
0:07:37 > 0:07:41as good as it gets anywhere in the world, must learn the lesson
0:07:41 > 0:07:46that practice pays, and do something properly and you get results.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48OK, if I play you three notes at once,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51do you think you could sing those? OK? I'm sure you can. Just listen.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54It's all about just what you hear, OK?
0:07:55 > 0:07:58La-la-la.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Yes. Do you recognise that sound?
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Do you know what it's called?
0:08:02 > 0:08:04What we call that chord?
0:08:05 > 0:08:07It doesn't matter if you don't.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11What do you call a bicycle with three wheels?
0:08:13 > 0:08:17- A tricycle.- And this is called a... Does it ring a bell?
0:08:17 > 0:08:22- Triad.- That it! Triad. Because it's got three notes.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24That's all it is. OK?
0:08:24 > 0:08:26It's not exactly complicated. Good.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30If George is selected, he'll start in September
0:08:30 > 0:08:32and spend his next five years
0:08:32 > 0:08:34singing at a professional level in a choir
0:08:34 > 0:08:36that performs for an incredible range of congregations
0:08:36 > 0:08:41that include royalty, statesmen and the world's religious leaders.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44The Dalai Lama arrives at the West Door.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Today, the Abbey is welcoming
0:08:46 > 0:08:48one of the world's great spiritual leaders,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51the Dalai Lama.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55It seemed to me that it was important in itself to welcome the Dalai Lama
0:08:55 > 0:09:00here, that it would be a statement of our interest in the plight
0:09:00 > 0:09:04of the people of Tibet and the people in exile with the Dalai Lama.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06But more particularly it is a chance to recognise
0:09:06 > 0:09:10that he is a world figure promoting peace and reconciliation
0:09:10 > 0:09:14and mutual understanding, and that we could work with him.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16We recognise that the Abbey has a worldwide significance,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19and therefore what we do can be exemplary
0:09:19 > 0:09:22and can encourage people in other places as well.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Your Holiness, it's a real delight and a pleasure to welcome you
0:09:29 > 0:09:31back to Westminster after almost 30 years.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36My beloved brothers and sisters, we gather from many Christian
0:09:36 > 0:09:39and faith traditions in this holy place
0:09:39 > 0:09:41for a moment of reflection and prayer.
0:09:41 > 0:09:47On behalf of the Dean and Chapter, I warmly welcome you all.
0:09:49 > 0:09:55Respected spiritual leaders, spiritual brothers and sisters.
0:09:55 > 0:10:02Once more I find this opportunity
0:10:02 > 0:10:08in this magnificent church, chapel,
0:10:08 > 0:10:15people from different religious faith sit together.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19And I think pray together.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Is really wonderful.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24BOY SINGS
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Establishing good relationships with people of different
0:10:32 > 0:10:36religious traditions, whether it be other Christian traditions,
0:10:36 > 0:10:40as with the Roman Catholics, or other religions
0:10:40 > 0:10:41as with the Dalai Lama here -
0:10:41 > 0:10:45all of those are very important things for the Abbey
0:10:45 > 0:10:46to be involved in, I think,
0:10:46 > 0:10:51and this visit to Rome takes its part within that broader business
0:10:51 > 0:10:54of being friendly towards ecumenism
0:10:54 > 0:10:58and being friendly towards people of other faiths altogether.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00That's part of what we want to do, and it's part of our mission.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02CHOIR SINGS
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Absolutely wonderful. Extraordinary man.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14Extraordinary man. Really great. Thank you very much, everyone.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Organising the historic five-day tour to Italy
0:11:20 > 0:11:24is the responsibility of Minor Canon Jamie Hawkey.
0:11:24 > 0:11:25Salve, buonasera...
0:11:25 > 0:11:27SPEAKS ITALIAN
0:11:28 > 0:11:32It's quite unusual to be organising something away from the Abbey.
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Most of our work here as Minor Canons is organising services
0:11:35 > 0:11:37that people will come to here,
0:11:37 > 0:11:40so we're extremely used to internal liaison
0:11:40 > 0:11:44and to external liaison with outside agencies, outside individuals,
0:11:44 > 0:11:47people who are going to come here for a special service.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49But it's quite unique to be organising something
0:11:49 > 0:11:54that not only is not in the Abbey and not in England, but in Italy.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56This isn't just the Abbey Choir
0:11:56 > 0:11:58going out to do a big concert in a concert hall.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01This is the Abbey Choir singing at a Papal Mass,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04at the Mass which is one of the biggest occasions
0:12:04 > 0:12:05in the Vatican calendar.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Seven weeks before the trip to Rome,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11the Sistine Chapel choir is in London.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14In recognition of the importance of the Pope's invitation,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17they've come to the Abbey for a rehearsal.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19SPEAKS ITALIAN
0:12:19 > 0:12:24The Pope has stipulated what he wants from the two choirs together.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27He wants the Missa Papae Marcelli by Palestrina,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30which is one of the most famous settings of the Mass ever composed.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34Both choirs have sung the music many times before,
0:12:34 > 0:12:37so the challenge for the conductors, James O'Donnell
0:12:37 > 0:12:39and Monsignor Massimo Palombella,
0:12:39 > 0:12:42is to integrate their very different sounds.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46The Sistine Chapel choir has its own tradition
0:12:46 > 0:12:47which goes back many centuries,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50and of course inevitably they develop their own style of singing.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52And we have developed our own style of singing,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55which comes partly from the language we speak -
0:12:55 > 0:12:57they sing almost entirely Latin music.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01They sing in a very much bigger building, which means that
0:13:01 > 0:13:02quite a lot of their music
0:13:02 > 0:13:05is perhaps less complicated rhythmically.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07And they have a very direct sound.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10We have a slightly more demure approach.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Good afternoon, and can I welcome to London
0:13:14 > 0:13:18our colleagues from Rome. It's very exciting to be singing with you.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22At the beginning of the Credo... # Da da da.. #
0:13:22 > 0:13:27HE SINGS
0:13:31 > 0:13:35CHOIRS SING
0:13:43 > 0:13:46For James O'Donnell, who himself is a Roman Catholic,
0:13:46 > 0:13:51the visit has a personal as well as a professional resonance.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54To sing in Rome with the Sistine Chapel Choir at a Papal Mass
0:13:54 > 0:13:59is going to be one of the most amazing moments of my life, I think.
0:14:01 > 0:14:02I'm really looking forward
0:14:02 > 0:14:04to singing to the Pope again
0:14:04 > 0:14:08and I'm also really looking forward to seeing the Vatican
0:14:08 > 0:14:12and the Sistine Chapel which I don't think I'd ever have seen otherwise.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Seeing the Pope again, that'll be quite cool. I remember
0:14:16 > 0:14:19when the Pope came to the Abbey.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21That was quite a big ceremony.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23This is going to be even bigger.
0:14:23 > 0:14:24I'm really excited
0:14:24 > 0:14:28about the whole prospect. The Pope inviting us.
0:14:28 > 0:14:29It's going to be amazing.
0:14:39 > 0:14:4319 boys and 12 professional singers,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46along with the music department, the Dean, several members of the clergy
0:14:46 > 0:14:50and the press office - a total of 44 people will make the trip to Italy.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55The Abbey's governing body, the Dean and Chapter,
0:14:55 > 0:14:57has decided that the cost of the tour
0:14:57 > 0:14:59will be met by the Abbey itself.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01The man in charge of balancing the books
0:15:01 > 0:15:04is the Canon Treasurer, Robert Reiss.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09You can't have a medieval building like this without it costing you
0:15:09 > 0:15:11quite a lot of money to look after it.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15It costs about £11m a year to run Westminster Abbey.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20And nine-tenths of our income comes from the charges at the door.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22I think it's very important to say
0:15:22 > 0:15:26that we never, ever charge for coming to services.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28They are and will always remain free.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30So we're not charging people to worship.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35But if people are coming here as tourists to look at a place
0:15:35 > 0:15:39of very considerable historical attraction, we really have no choice
0:15:39 > 0:15:44but to charge them, because we have no other way of raising that money.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46My role is head of Visitor Services.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50I'm responsible for the 1.2 million paying visitors
0:15:50 > 0:15:53last year as well as the 600,000 worshippers
0:15:53 > 0:15:55that come into the Abbey every year.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59On a standard day, we would probably process 1,000 people per hour.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01We have quite a short space of time to get people in
0:16:01 > 0:16:03because of our statutory services.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06We open the doors around 9.30 most mornings
0:16:06 > 0:16:09and we need to be closing by 3.30, so it's quite a short day.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13During that time we would put 6,000 people through on a standard day.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15It can be more, and it can be less,
0:16:15 > 0:16:20but 1,000 people an hour is a very good rule of thumb we use here.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23There by the gate is Robert Peel who founded the Metropolitan Police.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27Robert's first name, short name, is Bobby.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Now you know, London bobby is so-called after Robert Peel.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34The number isn't necessarily reflective of demand.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36It's controlled by how many people
0:16:36 > 0:16:39we can physically get into the building at any one time.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Making sure that, a - it's safe for people to still enter.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46And b - that people inside are still getting the best possible visit.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49It can at times feel very busy in the Abbey,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52but we make sure people are still getting the most out of visiting us.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55We don't have an open revolving door policy.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58There are times when we have to slow things down just to make sure
0:16:58 > 0:17:00the people inside are getting the best experience.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Excuse me, sir, there's no photography permitted inside.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05'Last year we were'
0:17:05 > 0:17:07phenomenally busy thanks to the Royal Wedding.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09In fact we were busy from the minute
0:17:09 > 0:17:12the royal engagement was announced, we started picking up.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15The two weeks after the Royal Wedding,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17the place was absolutely packed.
0:17:17 > 0:17:18Can I help you at all?
0:17:18 > 0:17:22I was just asking where Catherine walked down the aisle. Through here?
0:17:22 > 0:17:23She came through the big door.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26On the Royal Wedding day
0:17:26 > 0:17:27I had to press the bell to signal
0:17:27 > 0:17:29to the bell ringers to make sure
0:17:29 > 0:17:31they started the bells at the correct time when she exits,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34because we make sure that when they come to the door
0:17:34 > 0:17:36at the end of the wedding, that the bells are ringing
0:17:36 > 0:17:38perfectly at the right time.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40Part of my job was to communicate.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42We have a Morse code button
0:17:42 > 0:17:45because of course they're up in the bell tower,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47and I have a little button to press
0:17:47 > 0:17:49to make sure they start at the right time.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52That altar wasn't there. It's movable. It was moved
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Oh, I see.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58- She didn't hop over it.- Yeah, I didn't know if she went around it.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00That staging and the altar can be moved
0:18:00 > 0:18:03- and we do that for all our big services.- Oh. Right.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Mollie Johnston is one of 20 marshals employed by the Abbey
0:18:07 > 0:18:12to ensure the smooth-running and safety of its million-plus visitors.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Hello! Do you need any help at all?
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Everyone says no two days are the same, and it's absolutely true.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21One day you're at a Royal Wedding,
0:18:21 > 0:18:22next day President Obama's here.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24But then I'll be doing something different.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26I'll be interacting with the public,
0:18:26 > 0:18:31I'll be directing somebody to the bathroom, I'll be answering
0:18:31 > 0:18:33a question about a carving on a wall.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35You've got kings and queens buried here,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38you've got musicians and poets buried here.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42The Abbey itself is just somewhere that captures
0:18:42 > 0:18:43Britain through the years.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Edward is actually interred up here in a shrine.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49His whole body in its entirety is within that shrine.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52I wouldn't call it like a religious experience, so to speak,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54but it's as close as you can get, I think.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Tourism is the Abbey's lifeblood,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03and the most senior priest in charge of visitor welcome
0:19:03 > 0:19:05is known as the Canon Steward. In 2005,
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Jane Hedges became the first woman to be appointed to the role.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Obviously if you're lucky enough to be a Canon in Westminster Abbey,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16I do wake every day and think this is a fantastic place to be.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20And I suppose for me as well, that tremendous, extraordinary feeling
0:19:20 > 0:19:22of, "Gosh, I'm the first woman to be here in this position.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24"and it's a historic moment."
0:19:24 > 0:19:27And when I was appointed there had been a feeling at that stage
0:19:27 > 0:19:30that it would be good to have a woman canon here.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33So although it is a very male place - and it is -
0:19:33 > 0:19:36at a symbolic level it's really rather important
0:19:36 > 0:19:39that there are men and women working together and to recognise that women
0:19:39 > 0:19:41have got as many gifts as men
0:19:41 > 0:19:44and therefore that they should be able to exercise them
0:19:44 > 0:19:46at all levels of leadership within the Church of England.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Do follow me.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Canon Hedges' role is based on a tradition that was
0:19:51 > 0:19:54established here in 960AD, when the Abbey was founded
0:19:54 > 0:19:57as a community of monks who lived according to the rule
0:19:57 > 0:19:59of the Italian saint, Benedict.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04In 1540, Henry VIII dissolved the monastery here,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07as was happening all over the country.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10But interestingly, once the Abbey was re-established as it is today,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14as a Collegiate church with a Dean and Chapter, some of the roles
0:20:14 > 0:20:18that had been taken on within the Benedictine tradition were retained.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21And it's the role of the Canon Steward today to make sure
0:20:21 > 0:20:24that everybody receives Benedictine hospitality.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Benedict talked himself about receiving anybody that came
0:20:27 > 0:20:31to the monastery as if it was Christ himself.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35So we're just off to our volunteers' lunch which we hold annually,
0:20:35 > 0:20:40because we're so lucky here, we've got around about 170 people
0:20:40 > 0:20:44who help out in the Abbey and welcome our visitors.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46And of course one of the really important things
0:20:46 > 0:20:48about being a welcoming community
0:20:48 > 0:20:50is that not only do we make sure people get a welcome
0:20:50 > 0:20:53as they get to the Abbey but also as they're leaving.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57That we make sure that they're happy and know where they're going next.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00So this group of people are fantastic.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04170 of them will be coming to lunch today and it's an opportunity to
0:21:04 > 0:21:07say thank you to them for all that they offer to the life of the Abbey.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10'There have been some very lovely things happening this year,'
0:21:10 > 0:21:13apart from all the things to do with work,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15and I'd like, on your behalf,
0:21:15 > 0:21:19to offer congratulations to Steven, who got married a few weeks ago.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21And that's really lovely.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27But also, love is obviously in the air,
0:21:27 > 0:21:29because Mollie got engaged.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33One of the amazing things
0:21:33 > 0:21:37at the Abbey - last year we had over 1.25 million people
0:21:37 > 0:21:40paying to come in and go on a tour.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44We had just a handful of letters of complaint.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47And I think that's fantastic that we had so few,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49when we're dealing with so many people.
0:21:49 > 0:21:53That's largely down to the work you're doing,
0:21:53 > 0:21:56alongside our wonderful Marshals and Vergers.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59So on behalf of the Dean and Chapter I'd like to say
0:21:59 > 0:22:01a very, very big thank you to all of you.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09The Abbey is always looking for new ways to welcome their visitors,
0:22:09 > 0:22:12and to keep up with the demands of modern tourism,
0:22:12 > 0:22:16they embarked last year on their biggest building project
0:22:16 > 0:22:17for 20 years.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20The man in charge is the secular head of the Abbey,
0:22:20 > 0:22:24and former private secretary to Prince Charles, Sir Stephen Lamport.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27The Cellarium project is really important for us because
0:22:27 > 0:22:29it's been important over the centuries
0:22:29 > 0:22:32that Benedictine monasteries can look after their visitors properly.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35At the moment they have a coffee shop in the North Cloister,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37which is in the open air.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41It's cold, it's draughty, it's wet when it's raining,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44there's nowhere properly to sit, there's no running water.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48We make do with that in terms of offering people refreshment.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51This project enables us to do something much, much more than that,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54which is much more in tune with our traditions.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58What we're looking at at the moment is what is called the Cellarium,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01which was the old monastic store for food and drink.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05This will hold about probably 70 covers,
0:23:05 > 0:23:0770 people will be able to sit here.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11They'll have a chance to eat and drink.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Good quality, modestly-priced food is the objective.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18We're going to go down through here now.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23You see these great beams here?
0:23:23 > 0:23:28This actually was originally a flat roof behind the Chapter office.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32This is going to house a second part of the Cellarium,
0:23:32 > 0:23:36probably to accommodate about 50 people.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39This will give you views east over the Victoria Tower of Parliament
0:23:39 > 0:23:43and wonderful views across to the West Towers,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46the Hawksmoor Towers of the Abbey. So you'll have
0:23:46 > 0:23:50this remarkable context in which to eat and to drink.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54The plan is, that keeping up momentum -
0:23:54 > 0:23:56the chaps are working extremely hard at this,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59they're doing 12-hour shifts - we are hoping and planning
0:23:59 > 0:24:02that this will be very much open in time for the Olympics.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06The project is behind schedule because the builders
0:24:06 > 0:24:11came across medieval archaeological finds which interrupted the works.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14I was quite amazed by some of the findings.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18In the Cellarium area they found an actual cold store.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20A cellar we thought was a well, but it turns out
0:24:20 > 0:24:24it was actually used for keeping meats and produce cold.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27There was an old brick well in the floor
0:24:27 > 0:24:29that no-one knew was there.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32We had to do some exploratory work around the footings
0:24:32 > 0:24:37and I was amazed to see oyster shells and fish bones there.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40We thought someone had put them as a bit of a joke,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43but it's actually in underneath there.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46So in every shovelful, there's history.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48As well as unforeseeable delays,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51the builders have to work around the Abbey's routine
0:24:51 > 0:24:55of daily services, and the great landmarks of the Christian calendar.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58SINGING
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Today is Pentecost,
0:25:03 > 0:25:0750 days after Christ's resurrection on Easter Sunday.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11It marks the moment when the Holy Spirit descended on St Peter
0:25:11 > 0:25:14and the other Apostles, empowering them to spread the word of Christ.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19Well, here we are, we see the Apostles, probably John,
0:25:19 > 0:25:22I should think, in the middle and Peter there on his right.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26And you can see the tongues of flame distributed on their heads.
0:25:26 > 0:25:31And above, the Spirit as a dove coming down, and inspiring them.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34And they went out and Peter preached confidently
0:25:34 > 0:25:37to all the people who were gathered there
0:25:37 > 0:25:42from all over the Jewish world, and gentiles as well in Jerusalem.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45And that day 3,000 people were baptised.
0:25:45 > 0:25:46So it's the beginning of the Church.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49CHOIR SINGS
0:25:49 > 0:25:53Pentecost has really caught the imagination of composers.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56It's a very dramatic feast, its full of sort of a sense
0:25:56 > 0:26:00of a surge of power, of God's power coming through the Church.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02Through the world.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05So the music can reflect that and pick up on those things.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10For Pentecost, James O'Donnell has chosen a piece of music
0:26:10 > 0:26:14that was written in Latin by an English composer, Thomas Tallis,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17during the Reformation in the 16th century.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20SINGING
0:26:30 > 0:26:33The use of Latin liturgically was very much
0:26:33 > 0:26:35a bone of contention at the Reformation.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Latin was seen to be a very distant language,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41which made the words spoken only accessible
0:26:41 > 0:26:44to those who were learned and had studied it.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53It's only quite recently that places like Westminster Abbey
0:26:53 > 0:26:57have been able to perform this sort of music,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59because of its Latin text.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02And the insistence that liturgical music in the Church of England
0:27:02 > 0:27:04should be sung in English.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08In fact a few years ago if you wanted to do this music,
0:27:08 > 0:27:12you would have had to translate the text and sing it in English.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21This new openness to using Latin in Anglican church music
0:27:21 > 0:27:25is a sign of increasing dialogue with other faith traditions.
0:27:25 > 0:27:31The greatest church in the world is St Peter's Basilica in Rome,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33which is where St Peter himself is buried.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37We'll be making a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Peter,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41just as the Pope made a pilgrimage from Rome to Westminster,
0:27:41 > 0:27:44to the Shrine of St Edward.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46So it will be, as it were, a return match,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49and it will be a marvellous occasion for us.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52We'll also be going to Monte Cassino, to the Shrine of St Benedict,
0:27:52 > 0:27:53so it's very exciting.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58We're just coming up to the last few days before we go to Rome,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01and I'm just taking the time to revise
0:28:01 > 0:28:03some of the rehearsal we did a few weeks ago,
0:28:03 > 0:28:06both with the Sistine Chapel choir and also our own preparations.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08And trying to just go back over
0:28:08 > 0:28:12certain things that emerged in our rehearsal together.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15And some of us were singing "tibi dabo claves"
0:28:15 > 0:28:17in a rather English way.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21- It's going to have to be... - ITALIAN ACCENT:- "tibi dabo claves".
0:28:21 > 0:28:26And particularly "caelo". "Caeolorum", not "caeol-oh-rum".
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Don't let the vowel be plummy.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32We're actually going to sing several settings of the text Tu Es Petrus,
0:28:32 > 0:28:34or Thou Art Peter, You Are Peter.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38Which is a setting of the biblical passage where Jesus says to Peter,
0:28:38 > 0:28:42"You are Peter and on this rock I will build my church."
0:28:42 > 0:28:44OK. So you need to watch me.
0:28:44 > 0:28:50# Tu es Petrus... #
0:28:50 > 0:28:53There we are. That's just proved my point. And...
0:28:53 > 0:29:01# Tu es Petrus... #
0:29:01 > 0:29:02Then we wait another two.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06'This is obviously an absolutely critical text'
0:29:06 > 0:29:08for the papacy,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12for the Feast of St Peter which we are going to be singing in Rome,
0:29:12 > 0:29:14and even in the Abbey,
0:29:14 > 0:29:16'we would have been singing
0:29:16 > 0:29:19'a setting of Tu Es Petrus on that feast.'
0:29:19 > 0:29:22- Then... - THEY SING
0:29:32 > 0:29:35That's it. You just have to be sensitive
0:29:35 > 0:29:37to how they want you to do that.
0:29:37 > 0:29:38Taking part in high profile events
0:29:38 > 0:29:41is the business of the Abbey. None have been more spectacular
0:29:41 > 0:29:45than the marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton,
0:29:45 > 0:29:47but moments like these are punctuated
0:29:47 > 0:29:49by more private celebrations.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52Martin's at the front of the procession,
0:29:52 > 0:29:55the Dean, Piper, Carol and your father.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59The man organising the trip to Rome, Jamie Hawkey,
0:29:59 > 0:30:01has a big event of his own to arrange.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06When he gets back, he'll be marrying his fiancee, Carol Ripley.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09They'll be the first couple to take their vows at the High Altar
0:30:09 > 0:30:11since the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13Turn your right hand over.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16No, Carol's right. You're the priest, you should know this by now.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18- THEY LAUGH - I just had a blank.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22I think whoever's getting married, whether it's a Royal Wedding,
0:30:22 > 0:30:27or a wedding like ours or a wedding at Gretna Green with two witnesses,
0:30:27 > 0:30:33it's the same sacrament, the same utterly simple bond
0:30:33 > 0:30:36of two people pledging, covenanting their life together.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38Jamie, you lead Carol across.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40Mm-hm.
0:30:40 > 0:30:41- I take this hand.- That's perfect.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45So much of what we do at the Abbey is really based on precedent.
0:30:45 > 0:30:47And the precedent for Minor Canons
0:30:47 > 0:30:49when they get married while they're here
0:30:49 > 0:30:54is that they marry in the Abbey at the High Altar
0:30:54 > 0:30:57'and it's just pretty extraordinary for us.'
0:30:57 > 0:31:01At which point, a verger will come from that side...
0:31:01 > 0:31:04He's really good at this. Multi-tasking.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06- ..with a patten.- Oh, yeah?- Yep.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09THEY LAUGH
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Our wedding has involved so many members of the Abbey team
0:31:12 > 0:31:16who are also friends. And so we sat down here with James O'Donnell
0:31:16 > 0:31:20to talk about music, we sat down with my colleague Mike
0:31:20 > 0:31:22to talk about how the service might work,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25we sat down with the Dean for wedding prep,
0:31:25 > 0:31:27'like any other couple going to a parish priest.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31'My dad and I, and then my dad and Carol and my mum and I,'
0:31:31 > 0:31:33went to France to get loads of the booze
0:31:33 > 0:31:35some other friends then went to do a top-up run.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38'So it's been a brick by brick building-up
0:31:38 > 0:31:42'of what we hope is going to be a fantastic day for all our friends.'
0:31:42 > 0:31:45We've done our best to cover all the bases
0:31:45 > 0:31:49and we've got fantastic colleagues here who, you know,
0:31:49 > 0:31:51if there's a problem on the day we can say,
0:31:51 > 0:31:54"Do you think you can go and do that?" And they'll do it.
0:31:54 > 0:31:55All right. Hugh could you...?
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Make sure you put your name on it. Thank you.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00The Abbey party leaves in the morning for Italy.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Their packed schedule includes the Papal Mass,
0:32:03 > 0:32:07a recital in the Sistine Chapel and a pilgrimage to Monte Cassino,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09the heart of the Benedictine Order.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12I had seven in my case and now I've only got five.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14Preparing the boys for the five-day tour
0:32:14 > 0:32:17is the job of the choir school matron, Mair Hill.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19I'm only missing one, Matron.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22I've packed 19 suitcases.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28The 20th is mine. I haven't done that one yet.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31- I've got four pairs of socks. - You've only got four?
0:32:31 > 0:32:34I bought some spare ones, so if you're stuck for any
0:32:34 > 0:32:36let me know, I've got some spares.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40I'm sure I'll be excited tomorrow morning. I'm a bit tired today.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42But no, it'll be lovely, it'll be fabulous experience.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44For the boys particularly, I think.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47I'm looking forward to visiting Monte Cassino.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50I remember when I was about their age
0:32:50 > 0:32:53watching a programme about the siege of Monte Cassino,
0:32:53 > 0:32:57and being quite fascinated by that, during the Second World War.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01So it'll be nice to go and visit it and see how they've rebuilt it.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20We've got here and it feels wonderful to be here,
0:33:20 > 0:33:21even in this heat.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24And we're just, as it were, on the cusp of the two big events -
0:33:24 > 0:33:26the recital in the Sistine Chapel
0:33:26 > 0:33:29and the Mass with the Pope tomorrow morning.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33The recital is a way for the two choirs being able to sing in concert
0:33:33 > 0:33:36for the Cardinal Secretary of State and members of the Roman Curia
0:33:36 > 0:33:39as well as for the Papal Mass on the Friday morning.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42So it's going to be wonderful to have a concert moment together
0:33:42 > 0:33:43and a liturgical moment,
0:33:43 > 0:33:46and the principal focus of this trip is the liturgical moment
0:33:46 > 0:33:49because we're liturgical choirs, but it's going to be wonderful
0:33:49 > 0:33:52to share some of our musical heritage together this evening.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56It's taken five months' planning to reach the Vatican,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58the heart of Roman Catholicism,
0:33:58 > 0:34:01where the first Bishop of Rome, St Peter himself, is buried.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06The two choirs are meeting to rehearse
0:34:06 > 0:34:08in the magnificent St Peter's Basilica,
0:34:08 > 0:34:11the largest Renaissance church in the world.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17James O'Donnell and Monsignor Massimo Palombella
0:34:17 > 0:34:20are sharing the conducting.
0:34:20 > 0:34:21HE SPEAKS IN ITALIAN
0:34:33 > 0:34:35THEY SING
0:34:53 > 0:34:55THEY SING
0:35:03 > 0:35:07I think that the rehearsal showed that we had already met.
0:35:07 > 0:35:11I mean, I certainly felt there were very few teething problems.
0:35:11 > 0:35:13When you know what to expect
0:35:13 > 0:35:16and when you are right there in the place where it's going to be,
0:35:16 > 0:35:19the rehearsal takes a different life on
0:35:19 > 0:35:21and a different kind of intensity.
0:35:21 > 0:35:23So I think it felt as if things work on the way to having
0:35:23 > 0:35:24finishing touches put to them,
0:35:24 > 0:35:27but you don't want to do that until the actual service.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29There needs to be a feeling that we haven't yet done it
0:35:29 > 0:35:32and I think the sense of occasion when the congregation is there
0:35:32 > 0:35:34and the Pope comes in, it'll be amazing.
0:35:35 > 0:35:37CHOIR SINGS
0:35:44 > 0:35:45It was great.
0:35:45 > 0:35:50We had to wait a while to get moved around into our new places.
0:35:51 > 0:35:56But it went really well and the rehearsing the music was really good.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59It's very hot.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01It's all going well. Rehearsal going well.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03We're just having a tour of the Vatican Museum.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07It's great. Hot. Very hot.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11I love this weather. No, it's absolutely marvellous.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14It's a little warm for the boys, but we're getting used to it.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18One of the ancient titles of the Bishop of Rome is Pontifex Maximus,
0:36:18 > 0:36:22pontifex being a bridge. And there's no doubt this experience
0:36:22 > 0:36:26is a bridge between two cultures, between two churches.
0:36:26 > 0:36:29And so tomorrow, when both choirs are singing at the Papal Mass,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32there'll be a sense in which communion is not only deepened,
0:36:32 > 0:36:36but on one level where communion is already achieved
0:36:36 > 0:36:38because of that common worship,
0:36:38 > 0:36:41a common entering into the depth of the life of God.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44Father Jamie has had the lion's share of work on this tour
0:36:44 > 0:36:48and has done a phenomenal job at organising today's rehearsal
0:36:48 > 0:36:50in the Basilica, St Peter's itself.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55Amazing, seeing their preparations for tomorrow's Papal Mass.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59To be so close to the Shrine of St Peter,
0:36:59 > 0:37:04whom everyone agrees is the father of the Church
0:37:04 > 0:37:08and who's our patron saint at the Abbey,
0:37:08 > 0:37:11it really is an honour to be here.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17Now we're just about to re-group
0:37:17 > 0:37:20and go into the Sistine Chapel this afternoon for a rehearsal.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23This morning's positions, as close as we can get.
0:37:23 > 0:37:24'We're giving a very private recital.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26'The Secretary of State to the Vatican -
0:37:26 > 0:37:29'who's the Pope's number two - will be here
0:37:29 > 0:37:30'and some of the Papal household
0:37:30 > 0:37:33'and some of the Abbey's delegation as well.'
0:37:33 > 0:37:35It'll be a private thing
0:37:35 > 0:37:39but we want it to be a memorable and a good musical experience.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46THEY SING
0:37:54 > 0:37:57The two choirs are rehearsing in the Pope's private chapel
0:37:57 > 0:38:01surrounded by some of the most beautiful frescoes in Western art
0:38:01 > 0:38:06painted between 1508 and 1512 by the great Michelangelo.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18We've just been rehearsing in the Sistine Chapel.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21It's meant to be informal, but it's not that informal.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25And, well, it's amazing!
0:38:25 > 0:38:27Glorious sound that they're making, the Sistina.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30I'm loving it. Exciting and raw and gutsy.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32CHOIR SINGS
0:39:13 > 0:39:16It was marvellous. It was a bit like a dream.
0:39:16 > 0:39:18I had to pinch myself a few times
0:39:18 > 0:39:22and think, "This is actually the Sistine Chapel we're singing in."
0:39:30 > 0:39:33It's amazing how we can merge the two sounds
0:39:33 > 0:39:36and make one beautiful sound.
0:39:36 > 0:39:37Singing with them is a really good feeling.
0:39:37 > 0:39:39Especially in this beautiful place.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43It's much louder and you don't need to sing loud here.
0:39:43 > 0:39:49You just need to sing normally and it comes out massive.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51THEY SING
0:40:14 > 0:40:16APPLAUSE
0:40:24 > 0:40:28It's amazing. Amazing to hear the two choirs combined.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32And to see them sing together was really good, really good.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35It looks like a sheet with a face on it.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37And that's Michelangelo. That's him.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40It's amazing thinking about Michelangelo
0:40:40 > 0:40:42lying on his back on scaffolding to paint this
0:40:42 > 0:40:44in just a couple of years.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49They are tired, the heat is getting to them.
0:40:49 > 0:40:50It's getting to all of us.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54But they just turn it on, really, don't they?
0:40:54 > 0:40:57They're just great. Yeah, I was very impressed.
0:40:57 > 0:40:59Tomorrow's going to be one of the best days.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01The most tiring day. I think we'll get up at 5.30.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17The feast day of St Peter and St Paul
0:41:17 > 0:41:19is the high point of the Vatican's year
0:41:19 > 0:41:21and thousands are queuing for the Mass.
0:41:24 > 0:41:25It will be celebrated by
0:41:25 > 0:41:28the successor of St Peter, Pope Benedict.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33After all these centuries,
0:41:33 > 0:41:37to bring a choir such as that of Westminster Abbey -
0:41:37 > 0:41:41which in a way epitomises the Church of England
0:41:41 > 0:41:44and its role in English society, its independence -
0:41:44 > 0:41:48to bring that choir and that community here to Rome
0:41:48 > 0:41:52is an immense sign of how far we've come
0:41:52 > 0:41:56after all the divisions and centuries that we've been apart.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59It's remarkable that in the last decades
0:41:59 > 0:42:02we've drawn so close together that we're now able to make
0:42:02 > 0:42:05this gesture of friendship and recognition of each other
0:42:05 > 0:42:07and this invitation is extended
0:42:07 > 0:42:10towards the choir and clergy of Westminster Abbey
0:42:10 > 0:42:14as a sign of recognition of our common baptism,
0:42:14 > 0:42:15how much we have in common
0:42:15 > 0:42:19and that we have much more in common than what divides us.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23THEY SING
0:42:31 > 0:42:35But today of all days, the feast of St Peter and St Paul,
0:42:35 > 0:42:39is the feast day of Rome, St Peter and St Paul,
0:42:39 > 0:42:43the great saints on whose leadership the papacy is founded
0:42:43 > 0:42:47and so to invite a choir and a group of clergy
0:42:47 > 0:42:52from a non-Catholic establishment on such a day as this,
0:42:52 > 0:42:55to Rome to the Pope's Basilica, for his Mass,
0:42:55 > 0:42:57is an immensely significant gesture.
0:42:57 > 0:42:59THEY SING
0:43:12 > 0:43:17Pax domini sit semper vobiscum.
0:43:18 > 0:43:22- CONGREGATION:- Et cum spiritu tuo.
0:43:23 > 0:43:25Offerte vobis pacem.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29CHOIR SINGS
0:43:41 > 0:43:45At the heart of this two-and-a-half hour service is Holy Communion,
0:43:45 > 0:43:46the receiving of bread and wine,
0:43:46 > 0:43:49which Catholics believe to be the body and blood of Christ.
0:43:51 > 0:43:53For the Abbey, this is a painful moment.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57Non-Catholics are excluded from receiving communion
0:43:57 > 0:44:00because of historic, theological divisions.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02THEY SING
0:44:07 > 0:44:09But this remarkable, historic service
0:44:09 > 0:44:13culminates in Pope Benedict warmly greeting the Dean
0:44:13 > 0:44:15together with James O'Donnell and the choir.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36Boys, all right, make your way in now, please.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38Thank you very much.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47It went well. Mostly.
0:44:47 > 0:44:49Entirely, actually.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51No, it was great to see the Pope.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53It was really hot.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55I don't think I'll ever go to somewhere like it again.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57The acoustic in that building is amazing,
0:44:57 > 0:44:58but with all the people in there
0:44:58 > 0:45:00it was quite difficult to hear yourself.
0:45:00 > 0:45:03It was amazing but absolutely boiling.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06Best buy ever. £4.
0:45:06 > 0:45:11Oh, I can't really express it. It was... It was fantastic.
0:45:11 > 0:45:16It was a sort of incredibly big, theatrical event,
0:45:16 > 0:45:19slightly chaotic in times,
0:45:19 > 0:45:23cos it just, in times, cos there's so many people and so much to do.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27But, actually, really, it's a fantastic,
0:45:27 > 0:45:29um...thing to be involved in.
0:45:29 > 0:45:32I'm just, I'm rather reeling from it.
0:45:56 > 0:46:01It was a powerful moment for me. Deeply moving.
0:46:01 > 0:46:07I felt, during Communion, the pain of our separation.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10Not being able to receive communion.
0:46:10 > 0:46:17I think the pain of that we can offer as a small gift
0:46:17 > 0:46:21towards the hope of reconciliation,
0:46:21 > 0:46:25full communion between us in God's good time.
0:46:25 > 0:46:29The news of this historic meeting is being tweeted around the globe
0:46:29 > 0:46:32by the Abbey's own press team.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34We've been sending out regular tweets
0:46:34 > 0:46:37because we've had all sorts of lovely kind of access
0:46:37 > 0:46:38to the Vatican behind the scenes
0:46:38 > 0:46:41and we just thought it would be very interesting for everyone to see
0:46:41 > 0:46:43that unofficial side of the visit.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46So, yeah, we've been on our mobile phones constantly
0:46:46 > 0:46:48taking pictures and posting them
0:46:48 > 0:46:51and hoping that that's OK with everyone in the Vatican.
0:46:51 > 0:46:52SHE CHUCKLES
0:46:52 > 0:46:55It seems to be, so... And it's gone down really well.
0:46:55 > 0:46:57Everyone seems to be following it.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59Particularly, all our followers in North America
0:46:59 > 0:47:02seem to be enjoying getting those posts.
0:47:08 > 0:47:11After an exhausting three days in Rome,
0:47:11 > 0:47:14the Abbey is leaving the heat and bustle of the city
0:47:14 > 0:47:17to embark on the last leg of their Italian tour.
0:47:19 > 0:47:22They've been invited to the Abbey of Monte Cassino,
0:47:22 > 0:47:24the burial place of St Benedict,
0:47:24 > 0:47:26whose order founded Westminster Abbey.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32'The historic Monastery of Monte Cassino was the...'
0:47:32 > 0:47:35It has an added poignancy for the British group,
0:47:35 > 0:47:37because, during the Second World War,
0:47:37 > 0:47:40the monastery was occupied by the German Army
0:47:40 > 0:47:43and, after a long stalemate, in 1944,
0:47:43 > 0:47:45the Allies destroyed the building.
0:47:51 > 0:47:52'The rain of high explosives
0:47:52 > 0:47:56'completes the destruction of the Monastery of Monte Cassino.'
0:48:05 > 0:48:07After the war,
0:48:07 > 0:48:10the Monastery was completely rebuilt by the Italian government
0:48:10 > 0:48:14and today, a community of 17 Benedictine monks live here.
0:48:57 > 0:49:01Benedict founded this order of monks in 529AD
0:49:01 > 0:49:04and this is the first time in the Monastery's history
0:49:04 > 0:49:08that their hospitality has extended to women and children,
0:49:08 > 0:49:11so they've set up new quarters especially for them.
0:49:13 > 0:49:15Welcome, this is your room.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25Hugh, Joshua, come and look at the view.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31This teddy's name's Edward.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34I would normally take my other dog, called Doggy,
0:49:34 > 0:49:39but I thought he might get left behind or I might lose him,
0:49:39 > 0:49:42so I thought I'd bring him instead.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45The men in the Abbey's contingent
0:49:45 > 0:49:47are staying in the monks' closed quarters,
0:49:47 > 0:49:50an area not open to women or children.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53Magnifico, magnifico. Si.
0:49:53 > 0:49:55Translation would be helpful, chaps.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59- It's in the style of Grimaldi. It's a fusion of architects.- Ah, OK.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01Is this built in the same style as the previous monastery?
0:50:01 > 0:50:03Yeah, it's a complete copy.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05- Complete copy of the previous monastery?- Yeah, yeah.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14- Hi!- Hey. This is fantastic. Wow, really amazing!
0:50:14 > 0:50:16You got a bigger room than me.
0:50:16 > 0:50:18THEY LAUGH
0:50:18 > 0:50:19It's an accident.
0:50:19 > 0:50:21You can have a proper party here.
0:50:21 > 0:50:24It's extraordinary. How many...? One, two, three, four...
0:50:24 > 0:50:26Yeah, easily, a drinks party for 12 in here.
0:50:26 > 0:50:28Easily. Drinks are on you tonight.
0:50:28 > 0:50:31I was expecting a kind of white cell.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34- You know, that's kind of what you think of the cloister rooms.- Yeah.
0:50:34 > 0:50:36But I think that lots of people get confused
0:50:36 > 0:50:38and think that Benedictines are like Franciscans.
0:50:38 > 0:50:41- They're not. The Benedictines don't take a vow of poverty at all.- No.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43You know, they don't own anything themselves personally
0:50:43 > 0:50:47but, whereas Franciscans want, you know, that very, very simple life,
0:50:47 > 0:50:49for Benedictines, the vows are different.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51They're far more ancient -
0:50:51 > 0:50:54the vows of stability, conversion of life, you know?
0:50:57 > 0:50:59I've never been to Monte Cassino before...
0:50:59 > 0:51:02I've heard about it because of the battle and everything else,
0:51:02 > 0:51:04but it's extraordinary to be here.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08Not least of all to realise that this is all rebuilt after the war,
0:51:08 > 0:51:10after terrible bomb damage to it.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13And, I understand, all built by the State of Italy
0:51:13 > 0:51:15and maintained by the State of Italy.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18But it is the most extraordinary place. It's vast.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22And it is such a fabulous setting. I mean, high up on this hill,
0:51:22 > 0:51:24you can see why there was a war for here.
0:51:24 > 0:51:26You can see, if you had big guns up here,
0:51:26 > 0:51:29you would command the whole of the valley up to Rome.
0:51:29 > 0:51:31Having now, all the time that I've been at the Abbey,
0:51:31 > 0:51:34been more conscious of the Benedictine tradition
0:51:34 > 0:51:35than I ever was before,
0:51:35 > 0:51:37that means a lot to me
0:51:37 > 0:51:41and to realise this is very much the heart of that whole tradition,
0:51:41 > 0:51:44which I think is one of the most attractive parts
0:51:44 > 0:51:46of the Roman Catholic whole setup.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49I mean, the Rule of St Benedict was very wise,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52was very balanced, was very sensible.
0:51:52 > 0:51:54It led to very remarkable communities
0:51:54 > 0:51:57that, in themselves, did some very, very good things.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00And the quality of the rebuilding is amazing.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03So full marks to the State of Italy, I think.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05Even though they beat us at football.
0:52:05 > 0:52:06HE CHUCKLES
0:52:08 > 0:52:11There's something incredibly calming
0:52:11 > 0:52:13about being in a Benedictine monastery.
0:52:13 > 0:52:19I mean, the word written on the top of the door is PAX, peace in Latin.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22And that kind of sums up this place.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26So, it's a wonderfully decompressing thing to do.
0:52:26 > 0:52:31And also, we're singing services with a Benedictine community
0:52:31 > 0:52:33and because we're at Westminster Abbey,
0:52:33 > 0:52:36there's something that feels right about that for us.
0:52:36 > 0:52:40As a choir of a place which was once a Benedictine house.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43So it's a wonderful final stage.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47THEY SING
0:52:56 > 0:52:58The boys have been wonderful. I mean, you know...
0:52:58 > 0:53:00I take my hat off to them.
0:53:00 > 0:53:03It's my job to give them quite a hard time, be quite demanding.
0:53:03 > 0:53:06And I am, but I really,
0:53:06 > 0:53:09I do have enormous respect for what they've done.
0:53:09 > 0:53:13They've sung as well as they possibly could every occasion
0:53:13 > 0:53:15and their deportment and their conduct,
0:53:15 > 0:53:19and their ambassadorial representation of the Abbey
0:53:19 > 0:53:20and what it stands for,
0:53:20 > 0:53:25and the choir and what that stands for, has been really good.
0:53:25 > 0:53:29And I will choose the right moment to make that completely good.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35It's St Benedict who unites us.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38I spoke to the Prior at lunch
0:53:38 > 0:53:40'about the extraordinary feeling.
0:53:40 > 0:53:45'And he said it is the grand "cuore di Benedetto" -
0:53:45 > 0:53:49'the great heart of St Benedict who draws us together.'
0:53:49 > 0:53:53HE SINGS
0:53:55 > 0:53:58'The Rome and the Monte Cassino experience together'
0:53:58 > 0:54:01will be for ever memorable.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04But I believe they won't simply stand there.
0:54:04 > 0:54:05They stand within
0:54:05 > 0:54:07'a stream of relationship,
0:54:07 > 0:54:09'of developing relationship,
0:54:09 > 0:54:12'between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England
0:54:12 > 0:54:14'and the Anglican communion more widely.'
0:54:14 > 0:54:16But what is going on here
0:54:16 > 0:54:20is profound friendship, mutual exchange,
0:54:20 > 0:54:28and, out of that context, will eventually grow a reconciliation.
0:54:43 > 0:54:45In London, it's the end of the summer holidays
0:54:45 > 0:54:49and at Westminster Abbey, there's a very special event taking place.
0:54:53 > 0:54:56The community is preparing for the wedding of one its own -
0:54:56 > 0:55:00Minor Canon Jamie Hawkey to his fiance Carol Ripley.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04Weddings at the High Altar are extremely rare,
0:55:04 > 0:55:07confined to royalty and the Abbey community.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12Yeah, last shave. A bit like the last rites.
0:55:12 > 0:55:13HE LAUGHS
0:55:13 > 0:55:16But not with such a fatal outcome.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19When you think of what the girls go through,
0:55:19 > 0:55:21this is virtually nothing.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23I think he's had quite a busy morning,
0:55:23 > 0:55:25cos there's been quite a few last minute things
0:55:25 > 0:55:27he's had to sort out. But I imagine he's fine.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30He'll be absolutely fine. He's a pro.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32SHE LAUGHS
0:55:32 > 0:55:34He does services all the time.
0:55:34 > 0:55:35SHE LAUGHS
0:55:35 > 0:55:37It does feel quite bizarre being on the other side.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39But it's kind of good for a priest
0:55:39 > 0:55:41to have that discipline, actually, you know?
0:55:41 > 0:55:45For us to remember what it's like for other people.
0:55:45 > 0:55:48I spent quite a lot of time trying to get the creases out of my dress.
0:55:48 > 0:55:53Um, and out of the veil, just sort of trying to steam it.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56We borrowed a steamer from the Abbey, which was helpful.
0:55:56 > 0:55:58Looking forward to having a little glass of champagne
0:55:58 > 0:56:00before we head off.
0:56:00 > 0:56:03Unlike a lot of men, I actually quite like wearing a tie
0:56:03 > 0:56:06and I sort of miss wearing a tie for formal things, actually.
0:56:06 > 0:56:09So I thought, "Do you know what? On my wedding day,
0:56:09 > 0:56:13"I'm just going to wear an ordinary morning dress, a morning coat."
0:56:13 > 0:56:15I'm really looking forward to getting there now.
0:56:15 > 0:56:18The butterflies are slightly swirling round my tummy.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23BAGPIPES PLAY
0:56:27 > 0:56:32'When we first talked about it, I did feel quite intimidated
0:56:32 > 0:56:35'but when the Abbey did the trip to Rome,
0:56:35 > 0:56:39'I went with Jamie and the rest of the choir
0:56:39 > 0:56:41'and the community that went out.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44'And so, that was great to get to know them even better.
0:56:44 > 0:56:48'So, actually, I'm really looking forward to it.
0:56:48 > 0:56:51'It's such a glorious place.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54'And it's normally confined to royalty,
0:56:54 > 0:56:58'so we're very, very honoured to be getting married at the High Altar.'
0:57:02 > 0:57:07The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God
0:57:07 > 0:57:10and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.
0:57:10 > 0:57:12ALL: And also with you.
0:57:12 > 0:57:15It's wonderful to hear the skirl of the pipes
0:57:15 > 0:57:16here in Westminster Abbey,
0:57:16 > 0:57:21and it's glorious to be here on this happy and joyful day
0:57:21 > 0:57:23for the wedding of Carol and Jamie.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28'The Abbey community is an ever-expanding community.
0:57:28 > 0:57:31'Those of us who work here know that we just come to play our part here
0:57:31 > 0:57:34'for a very short space of time, we dip our toes in,
0:57:34 > 0:57:36'we're fully immersed in it, and then, we leave again.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38'But today, the Abbey has gained
0:57:38 > 0:57:41'another member of that community in Carol.'
0:57:41 > 0:57:43'I've been experiencing that slightly on the fringes.
0:57:43 > 0:57:45'But to be here now,
0:57:45 > 0:57:48'as a legitimate part of the team, is wonderful.'
0:57:54 > 0:57:58Over the coming months, the cycle of life at the Abbey continues.
0:57:58 > 0:58:00ALL: One!
0:58:00 > 0:58:04You tend to forget, from year to year, just how little they are.
0:58:04 > 0:58:07I've never slept at school before, so I'm a bit scared.
0:58:07 > 0:58:09Christmas is obviously a beautiful and wonderful season
0:58:09 > 0:58:12and, for us, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is wonderful
0:58:12 > 0:58:14and we have to prepare for it.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17THEY SING
0:58:17 > 0:58:21I like carols cos they're all cheery
0:58:21 > 0:58:24and it means Christmas is soon!
0:58:46 > 0:58:49Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd