Pope Benedict XVI's visit to the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
Pope Benedict XVI
's visit to the United Kingdom
from 16 to 19 September 2010 was the first state visit
by a pope to the United Kingdom (Pope John Paul II
made a pastoral, rather than state, visit
to Great Britain in 1982). The visit included the beatification
of Cardinal Newman as a "pastoral highlight".
His visit included meetings with the Queen, the First Minister of Scotland
Alex Salmond
, Archbishop of Canterbury
Rowan Williams
, Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader David Cameron
, and leaders of the other main political parties.
While the Pope visited Scotland
and England
, he did not visit either Wales
or Northern Ireland
.
by then Prime Minister
Gordon Brown
in February 2009. The Pope's visit featured in the debates between party leaders in April 2010, prior to the 2010 United Kingdom General Election, where all three party leaders expressed support for the visit, while expressing disagreement with some of the Pope's views.
Anjoum Noorani of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
was originally a key contact between the UK Government and the papal visit team. However, he was suspended from overseas postings and given a final warning, to last for five years, after approving the sending of a memo
written by Steven Mulvain, a 23-year-old Oxford graduate, mocking the visit. Subsequently the new UK Government appointed liberal Catholic Lord Patten
to get the visit back on track following a series of setbacks.
in Bellahouston Park
, Glasgow, on the afternoon of Thursday 16 September, an evening prayer vigil in Hyde Park
, London, on Saturday 18 September, and the Mass of Beatification of Henry Newman in Cofton Park, Longbridge
, Birmingham on Sunday 19 September.
In contrast with the previous Papal visit to the UK, that of Pope John Paul II in 1982, where anyone could attend open-air events, there was tight security for the 2010 Papal visit, with all attendees required to register in advance through their parish and to attend in a group with a 'Pilgrim Leader' from that parish, who as leader had the responsibility to vouch for all members of his group. All registered attendees received a 'Pilgrim Pass', required for admission to events. Non-Catholics were permitted to attend, by contacting their local parish.
The mass of Beatification in Cofton Park was originally arranged for Coventry Airport
, with a capacity of up to 250,000. The planned event at the airport, which had seen 350,000 attend the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1982, was the subject of an Isle of Man commemorative stamp. However the event was switched to the much smaller Cofton Park, Longbridge
, a switch that the church denied was to reduce costs, instead stating that Cofton Park had a greater connection to Newman, who had lived in the area and walked around the park.
The final cost to the UK taxpayer (excluding policing costs) of the visit was £10 million. The cost to the taxpayer was criticised, with a ComRes
poll showing that 76% of people in the UK agreed with the statement that 'The Pope is a religious figure so the taxpayer should not be contributing to the costs of his visit'. The cost was defended, however, by the Archbishop of Westminster, leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, who said that it was right for the government to pay for official State Visits, as well as by Lord Patten, who said that the cost compared favourably with the £20 million spent on the 2009 G-20 London Summit
. The visit was predicted to cost Edinburgh City council £400,000.
The financial benefits as well as costs of the Papal visit were reported, with the councillor coordinating the visit to Birmingham, which incurred £80,000 in direct costs, estimated before the event a £12.5 million boost to the city, while Scott Taylor of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau said that there was a direct £4.25m benefit to Glasgow, with further valuable publicity from the resultant media coverage of the city.
It was announced in July that attendees at events would be charged for a compulsory 'Pilgrim Pack', including commemorative items, in order to fund transport costs. The costs were £5 for the Hyde Park vigil (which did not include transport), £25 to attend the Cofton Park event and £20 to attend Bellahouston Park mass. The £20 charge for Bellahouston Park was levied on the parish, which had discretion as to whether it recouped the cost directly from attendees. The charges were said to be the first ever levied for attending Papal events, and came amid reports that the church was £2.6 million short of its donation target.
The cost to the Catholic Church was £10 million, against the £7 million published on the Papal Visit website. The bulk of the £7m, £5.2m was for staging the three large-scale public events, a further £0.6m for three smaller pastoral events, with the remaining £1.2m covering evangelism, planning and communication. £1.1 million was raised through a Pentecost
Sunday special collection in churches and £4m from wealthy individual donors. As of November 2010 the church had a £3.5m shortfall, due to be repaid to the Government by April 2011.
at Edinburgh Airport
on 16 September, where he was greeted by Prince Philip
and the Archbishops of Westminster and St Andrews and Edinburgh
. He then met the Queen for the first time at Holyrood Palace
in Edinburgh
, the Queen's official residence in Scotland, with the ceremonial Guard of honour
formed by the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers
and the High Constables of Holyroodhouse
.
In his speech at Holyrood Palace, the Pope associated atheist extremism
with Nazism
, thereby causing considerable controversy. The Pope said:
A parade for Saint Ninian
's day was held at 11am, the route beginning on Regent Road, Edinburgh, and proceeding along Princes Street
. Attendance was open to all, with a parade of school children and figures from Scotland's Christian history, in honour of St Ninian of Galloway, who brought Christianity to Scotland from Rome in the fifth century. After the parade, which was attended by around 125,000 people, the Pope proceeded by Popemobile to have lunch with Cardinal O'Brien
at his home before travelling by car to Glasgow
.
The Pope was greeted by the Archbishop of Glasgow for the ticketed Mass of the Feast of St Ninian in Bellahouston Park
,. Susan Boyle
and Pop Idol
winner Michelle McManus
performed before the start of the mass. Attendance was 65,000 people. The pope flew from Glasgow Airport
to London Heathrow airport that evening.
, the official residence of the Papal Residence in the UK, in Wimbledon, Southwest London. His first public engagement was a celebration of Catholic education with a visit to address educators and students at St Mary's University College, Twickenham, which was followed by a meeting with people of faith in the University's Waldegrave Drawing Room.
He became the first Pope to enter Lambeth Palace
, where he met the Archbishop of Canterbury
at Lambeth Palace
. He made the journey from Lambeth Palace to the Palace of Westminster
by Popemobile, making an Address to Civil Society from the spot in Westminster Hall where St Thomas More
died a martyr's death in 1535, being accused for high treason for holding to his Catholic faith in refusing to acknowledge the validity of the Act of Succession.
In the evening there was an ecumenical celebration of evening prayer at Westminster Abbey
with representatives from all the main Christian churches including the Greek Orthodox, Coptic and Free Churches. He later venerated the tomb of Edward the Confessor
at the Abbey.
, Prime Minister, Nick Clegg
, as Deputy Prime Minister, and Harriet Harman
, Acting Leader of the Opposition. This was followed with morning Mass in Westminster Cathedral
. In his sermon, the Pope referenced sexual abuse by priests, saying "Here, too, I think of the immense suffering caused by the abuse of children, especially within the church and by her ministers. Above all, I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes", saying "I also acknowledge with you the shame and humiliation which all of us have suffered because of these sins".
After Mass, the Pope used the middle part of the day to meet five victims of child sex abuse at the Apostolic Nunciature, apologising to them and describing the Church's measures to protect young people. The meeting had been planned before the Pope's visit, and time was left free in his schedule to allow for it.
In the evening the Pope visited St Peter's Residence for Older People, run by Little Sisters of the Poor
. The Pope travelled to the day's main event, the ticketed Hyde Park Prayer Vigil on the Eve of the Beatification of Cardinal Newman, by Popemobile. The vigil was attended by 80,000 people. The Pope's speech described Newman's life's work "as a struggle against the growing tendency to view religion as a purely private and subjective matter, a question of personal opinion", stating that it was a lesson for today, in which "an intellectual and moral relativism threatens to sap the very foundations of our society".
for the main event of his visit, the beatification
of Cardinal
John Henry Newman in Cofton Park
in Birmingham. Local residents were required to carry vehicle passes as well as to carry proof of identity in order to leave their own homes. Attendance at the event was approximately 55,000, a figure said to have been reduced by the requirement to arrive at the location between 3am and 7am on special coaches for the 10am start.
The Cofton Park Mass was followed by a private visit to Birmingham Oratory
, founded by John Henry Newman. The visit was preceded by controversy due to the exiling of three priests to monasteries in separate parts of the world.
The visit concluded with lunch and a meeting with the bishops of England, Scotland and Wales at St Mary's College, Oscott. The Pope gave a final speech at Birmingham Airport, before departing for Rome
on a chartered Alitalia
Airbus A320. British Airways
, as UK flag carrier, would have been the usual choice for a state Papal visit, but they were reportedly rejected due to concerns about strikes.
In conjunction with the visit, an exhibition of Raphael's tapestries for the Sistine Chapel
took place at London's Victoria and Albert Museum
from 8 September to 17 October 2010 where they were displayed for the first time alongside the Raphael cartoons
used to make them; the cartoons having been in the British Royal Collection
since 1623. This followed a reported scaling-back of earlier plans for a large exhibition of Vatican artworks at London's Royal Academy
.
arrested five street cleaners under the Terrorism Act 2000
in a pre-dawn raid at a London cleaning depot, in a suspected terrorist plot against the Pope on the second day of his state visit; a sixth person was arrested later in the day at his home "on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism". The men, aged between 26 and 50, had been working as street cleaners for contractors Veolia Environnement, on behalf of Westminster City Council
and were based at the Chiltern Street depot in Marylebone
.
The suspects were questioned at an unidentified London police station. The police did not uncover any hazardous items during an initial search of the business premises and other properties.
According to police some of the suspects were thought to be immigrants to Britain, from a variety of nations including a number from Algeria.
All the men were released without charge before the Pope's visit ended. It turned out they were arrested after joking about how the Popemobile
could not withstand an RPG attack.
UK, Rafiq Hayat stated that "Religious leaders have a pivotal role to play in promoting peace and serving humanity. Indeed religions have far more commonalities than differences and we welcome moves that will help forge unity and foster greater understanding."
Vivian Wineman, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews
, said "In an age where scepticism and ill-will towards religion is rising, it will be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that there is much to unite people of faith and much that can be achieved when we work together for the greater good not only of our members, but for society as a whole."
Media coverage of the visit, which was largely critical before the event, was more positive during and following the Pope's visit. A BBC News correspondent noted that 'there was a tangible sense of relief, even of euphoria, among Pope Benedict's entourage during the return flight to Rome from Birmingham', while Stephen Glover in the Daily Mail
suggested that it would 'be wonderful if Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, dared to speak with a fraction of the authority of the Pope'.
, homosexuality
, contraception and AIDS
, as well as complaints over historical sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests. Former DUP leader Ian Paisley
(known for his Anti-Catholicism
in Northern Ireland
) called the visit a "mistake" and the principal of Scotland's Free Church Training College
said the visit airbrushed the Protestant Reformation
out of history and dishonoured reformer and nationalist John Knox
. On the eve of the visit, a letter by 50 public figures argued that the Pope's tour should not have been accorded the status of a state visit.
A number of groups, including the British Humanist Association
and the National Secular Society
organised a campaign of protests against the visit. The Roman Catholic pressure group "Catholic Women's Ordination" arranged for London buses to carry advertisements encouraging the Pope to "Ordain Women Now" and also planned further unspecified lobbying action.
Richard Dawkins
gave a speech at the "Protest the Pope" rally, declaring the pope "an enemy of humanity", claiming that the Vatican supported Nazism
, bringing up the issue of the Pope's membership in the Hitler Youth
and arguing that Hitler was a Roman Catholic. Dawkins had previously supported a call for the Pope's arrest for "crimes against humanity", an idea first proposed by Christopher Hitchens
and described by a former editor of the Catholic Herald as "lunatic", and human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson
was reported to have looked at options to charge the Pope over his alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. In July 2010 the UK government announced plans to change the law on universal jurisdiction to prevent the issue of an arrest warrant. Attempts to make a citizen's arrest on the Pope were abandoned by Peter Tatchell
. Members of Muslims Against the Crusades protested against the Pope in London. The Guardian reported that around 10,000 protesters marched in London against the Pope's visit on 18 September 2010.
marked the visit with documentaries including:
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
's visit to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 16 to 19 September 2010 was the first state visit
State visit
A state visit is a formal visit by a foreign head of state to another nation, at the invitation of that nation's head of state. State visits are the highest form of diplomatic contact between two nations, and are marked by ceremonial pomp and diplomatic protocol. In parliamentary democracies, heads...
by a pope to the United Kingdom (Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
made a pastoral, rather than state, visit
Pope John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom
Pope John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom in 1982 was the first visit to that country by a reigning pope. John Paul arrived in the UK on 28 May 1982, and during his time there visited 9 cities, delivering 16 major addresses...
to Great Britain in 1982). The visit included the beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
of Cardinal Newman as a "pastoral highlight".
His visit included meetings with the Queen, the First Minister of Scotland
First Minister of Scotland
The First Minister of Scotland is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy...
Alex Salmond
Alex Salmond
Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond MSP is a Scottish politician and current First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland's fourth First Minister in May 2007. He is the Leader of the Scottish National Party , having served as Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon...
, Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
Rowan Williams
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...
, Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, and leaders of the other main political parties.
While the Pope visited Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, he did not visit either Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
or Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Invitation and planning
An invitation to visit the UK was extended to Pope Benedict XVIPope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
by then Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
in February 2009. The Pope's visit featured in the debates between party leaders in April 2010, prior to the 2010 United Kingdom General Election, where all three party leaders expressed support for the visit, while expressing disagreement with some of the Pope's views.
Anjoum Noorani of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
was originally a key contact between the UK Government and the papal visit team. However, he was suspended from overseas postings and given a final warning, to last for five years, after approving the sending of a memo
Foreign Office papal visit memo
The Foreign Office papal visit memo was an incident that occurred in the United Kingdom in April 2010, after it was revealed that Foreign Office civil servants working on preparing the State Visit of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 had sent out an internal memo containing remarks that could be considered...
written by Steven Mulvain, a 23-year-old Oxford graduate, mocking the visit. Subsequently the new UK Government appointed liberal Catholic Lord Patten
Chris Patten
Christopher Francis Patten, Baron Patten of Barnes, CH, PC , is the last Governor of British Hong Kong, a former British Conservative politician, and the current chairman of the BBC Trust....
to get the visit back on track following a series of setbacks.
Ticketed events
There were three specific ticketed events open to the public during the Pope's visit. These were a MassMass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
in Bellahouston Park
Bellahouston Park
Bellahouston Park is a public park in the South Side of Glasgow, Scotland, between the areas of Mosspark, Craigton, Ibrox, and Dumbreck, covering an area of . It is based around Ibrox hill in the centre, with commanding views over most of the city, exceptions being views to the east that are...
, Glasgow, on the afternoon of Thursday 16 September, an evening prayer vigil in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
, London, on Saturday 18 September, and the Mass of Beatification of Henry Newman in Cofton Park, Longbridge
Longbridge
Longbridge is an area of Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield.Since 1905, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars...
, Birmingham on Sunday 19 September.
In contrast with the previous Papal visit to the UK, that of Pope John Paul II in 1982, where anyone could attend open-air events, there was tight security for the 2010 Papal visit, with all attendees required to register in advance through their parish and to attend in a group with a 'Pilgrim Leader' from that parish, who as leader had the responsibility to vouch for all members of his group. All registered attendees received a 'Pilgrim Pass', required for admission to events. Non-Catholics were permitted to attend, by contacting their local parish.
The mass of Beatification in Cofton Park was originally arranged for Coventry Airport
Coventry Airport
Coventry Airport is located south southeast of Coventry city centre, in the village of Baginton, Warwickshire, England, and about outside Coventry boundaries...
, with a capacity of up to 250,000. The planned event at the airport, which had seen 350,000 attend the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1982, was the subject of an Isle of Man commemorative stamp. However the event was switched to the much smaller Cofton Park, Longbridge
Longbridge
Longbridge is an area of Birmingham, England. For local government purposes it is a ward within the district of Northfield.Since 1905, the area has been dominated by the Longbridge plant, which produced Austin, Nash Metropolitan, Morris, British Leyland, and most recently MG Rover cars...
, a switch that the church denied was to reduce costs, instead stating that Cofton Park had a greater connection to Newman, who had lived in the area and walked around the park.
Costs
The visit of the Pope was the first state visit of a Pope to the UK; the visit of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, had been a pastoral visit, and as such the British government did not pay the costs of that visit, although expenses were incurred by local governments in areas that he visited.The final cost to the UK taxpayer (excluding policing costs) of the visit was £10 million. The cost to the taxpayer was criticised, with a ComRes
ComRes
ComRes is a polling and research consultancy with British origins. The company has its registered company headquarters in London, United Kingdom and also has offices in Brussels, Edinburgh and Cardiff...
poll showing that 76% of people in the UK agreed with the statement that 'The Pope is a religious figure so the taxpayer should not be contributing to the costs of his visit'. The cost was defended, however, by the Archbishop of Westminster, leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, who said that it was right for the government to pay for official State Visits, as well as by Lord Patten, who said that the cost compared favourably with the £20 million spent on the 2009 G-20 London Summit
2009 G-20 London summit
The 2009 G-20 London Summit is the second meeting of the G-20 heads of state in discussion of financial markets and the world economy, which was held in London on 2 April 2009 at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre. It followed the first G-20 Leaders Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy, which...
. The visit was predicted to cost Edinburgh City council £400,000.
The financial benefits as well as costs of the Papal visit were reported, with the councillor coordinating the visit to Birmingham, which incurred £80,000 in direct costs, estimated before the event a £12.5 million boost to the city, while Scott Taylor of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau said that there was a direct £4.25m benefit to Glasgow, with further valuable publicity from the resultant media coverage of the city.
It was announced in July that attendees at events would be charged for a compulsory 'Pilgrim Pack', including commemorative items, in order to fund transport costs. The costs were £5 for the Hyde Park vigil (which did not include transport), £25 to attend the Cofton Park event and £20 to attend Bellahouston Park mass. The £20 charge for Bellahouston Park was levied on the parish, which had discretion as to whether it recouped the cost directly from attendees. The charges were said to be the first ever levied for attending Papal events, and came amid reports that the church was £2.6 million short of its donation target.
The cost to the Catholic Church was £10 million, against the £7 million published on the Papal Visit website. The bulk of the £7m, £5.2m was for staging the three large-scale public events, a further £0.6m for three smaller pastoral events, with the remaining £1.2m covering evangelism, planning and communication. £1.1 million was raised through a Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
Sunday special collection in churches and £4m from wealthy individual donors. As of November 2010 the church had a £3.5m shortfall, due to be repaid to the Government by April 2011.
16 September
Pope Benedict XVI began his official visit in ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
at Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh Airport is located at Turnhouse in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, and was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2010, handling just under 8.6 million passengers in that year. It was also the sixth busiest airport in the UK by passengers and the fifth busiest by aircraft movements...
on 16 September, where he was greeted by Prince Philip
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh is the husband of Elizabeth II. He is the United Kingdom's longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning British monarch....
and the Archbishops of Westminster and St Andrews and Edinburgh
Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien
Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien is a Scottish Cardinal and the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh of the Roman Catholic Church. O'Brien is currently the only living Cardinal from Scotland....
. He then met the Queen for the first time at Holyrood Palace
Holyrood Palace
The Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly referred to as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the monarch in Scotland. The palace stands at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, the Queen's official residence in Scotland, with the ceremonial Guard of honour
Guard of honour
A guard of honour is a ceremonial event practice in military and sports as a mark of respect.-Military:In the military a guard of honour is a ceremonial practice to honour visiting foreign dignitaries, or the fallen in war, or a ceremony for public figures who have died.The commander is three paces...
formed by the Royal Regiment of Scotland, the Royal Company of Archers
Royal Company of Archers
The Royal Company of Archers is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland, a role it has performed since 1822 and the reign of King George IV, when the company provided a personal bodyguard to the King on his visit to Scotland. It is currently known as the Queen's...
and the High Constables of Holyroodhouse
High Constables and Guard of Honour of the Palace of Holyroodhouse
The High Constables of Holyroodhouse are a small corps of ceremonial guards at the Sovereign's official residence in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. Dating from the early sixteenth century, they now parade whenever the Sovereign, or the Lord High Commissioner of the General Assembly of the Church...
.
In his speech at Holyrood Palace, the Pope associated atheist extremism
State atheism
State atheism is the official "promotion of atheism" by a government, sometimes combined with active suppression of religious freedom and practice...
with Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, thereby causing considerable controversy. The Pope said:
A parade for Saint Ninian
Saint Ninian
Saint Ninian is a Christian saint first mentioned in the 8th century as being an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of what is now Scotland...
's day was held at 11am, the route beginning on Regent Road, Edinburgh, and proceeding along Princes Street
Princes Street
Princes Street is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, and its main shopping street. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1 mile from Lothian Road in the west to Leith Street in the east. The street is mostly closed to private...
. Attendance was open to all, with a parade of school children and figures from Scotland's Christian history, in honour of St Ninian of Galloway, who brought Christianity to Scotland from Rome in the fifth century. After the parade, which was attended by around 125,000 people, the Pope proceeded by Popemobile to have lunch with Cardinal O'Brien
Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien
Keith Michael Patrick O'Brien is a Scottish Cardinal and the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh of the Roman Catholic Church. O'Brien is currently the only living Cardinal from Scotland....
at his home before travelling by car to Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
.
The Pope was greeted by the Archbishop of Glasgow for the ticketed Mass of the Feast of St Ninian in Bellahouston Park
Bellahouston Park
Bellahouston Park is a public park in the South Side of Glasgow, Scotland, between the areas of Mosspark, Craigton, Ibrox, and Dumbreck, covering an area of . It is based around Ibrox hill in the centre, with commanding views over most of the city, exceptions being views to the east that are...
,. Susan Boyle
Susan Boyle
Susan Magdalane Boyle is a Scottish singer who came to international public attention when she appeared as a contestant on the TV programme Britain's Got Talent on 11 April 2009, singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from ...
and Pop Idol
Pop Idol
Pop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 6 October 2001. The show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation. Two series were broadcast - one in 2001-02 and a second in 2003...
winner Michelle McManus
Michelle McManus
Michelle McManus is a Scottish singer-songwriter, actress, radio DJ and television presenter, who rose to fame after winning the second series of the UK talent show Pop Idol....
performed before the start of the mass. Attendance was 65,000 people. The pope flew from Glasgow Airport
Glasgow Airport
Glasgow Airport may refer to:*Glasgow International Airport, in Renfrewshire, the primary airport serving Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.*Glasgow Airport , also known as Wokal Field, in Glasgow, Montana, United States.It may also refer to:...
to London Heathrow airport that evening.
17 September
On the second day of his visit to the United Kingdom the Pope began the day with a private Mass in the Chapel of the Apostolic NunciatureNunciature to Great Britain
The Nunciature to Great Britain is an ecclesiastical office of the Roman Catholic Church in Great Britain. It is a diplomatic post of the Holy See, whose representative is called the Apostolic Nuncio to the Court of St. James with the rank of an ambassador. The office of the nunciature is located...
, the official residence of the Papal Residence in the UK, in Wimbledon, Southwest London. His first public engagement was a celebration of Catholic education with a visit to address educators and students at St Mary's University College, Twickenham, which was followed by a meeting with people of faith in the University's Waldegrave Drawing Room.
He became the first Pope to enter Lambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England. It is located in Lambeth, on the south bank of the River Thames a short distance upstream of the Palace of Westminster on the opposite shore. It was acquired by the archbishopric around 1200...
, where he met the Archbishop of Canterbury
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams FRSL, FBA, FLSW is an Anglican bishop, poet and theologian. He is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England, offices he has held since early 2003.Williams was previously Bishop of Monmouth and...
at Lambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury in England. It is located in Lambeth, on the south bank of the River Thames a short distance upstream of the Palace of Westminster on the opposite shore. It was acquired by the archbishopric around 1200...
. He made the journey from Lambeth Palace to the Palace of Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
by Popemobile, making an Address to Civil Society from the spot in Westminster Hall where St Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
died a martyr's death in 1535, being accused for high treason for holding to his Catholic faith in refusing to acknowledge the validity of the Act of Succession.
In the evening there was an ecumenical celebration of evening prayer at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
with representatives from all the main Christian churches including the Greek Orthodox, Coptic and Free Churches. He later venerated the tomb of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
at the Abbey.
18 September
The Pope began the day with meetings with David CameronDavid Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
, Prime Minister, Nick Clegg
Nick Clegg
Nicholas William Peter "Nick" Clegg is a British Liberal Democrat politician who is currently the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord President of the Council and Minister for Constitutional and Political Reform in the coalition government of which David Cameron is the Prime Minister...
, as Deputy Prime Minister, and Harriet Harman
Harriet Harman
Harriet Ruth Harman QC is a British Labour Party politician, who is the Member of Parliament for Camberwell and Peckham, and was MP for the predecessorPeckham constituency from 1982 to 1997...
, Acting Leader of the Opposition. This was followed with morning Mass in Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral
Westminster Cathedral in London is the mother church of the Catholic community in England and Wales and the Metropolitan Church and Cathedral of the Archbishop of Westminster...
. In his sermon, the Pope referenced sexual abuse by priests, saying "Here, too, I think of the immense suffering caused by the abuse of children, especially within the church and by her ministers. Above all, I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes", saying "I also acknowledge with you the shame and humiliation which all of us have suffered because of these sins".
After Mass, the Pope used the middle part of the day to meet five victims of child sex abuse at the Apostolic Nunciature, apologising to them and describing the Church's measures to protect young people. The meeting had been planned before the Pope's visit, and time was left free in his schedule to allow for it.
In the evening the Pope visited St Peter's Residence for Older People, run by Little Sisters of the Poor
Little Sisters of the Poor
The Little Sisters of the Poor is a Roman Catholic religious order for women. It was founded in the 19th century by Saint Jeanne Jugan near Rennes, France. Jugan felt the need to care for the many impoverished elderly who lined the streets of French towns and cities.This led her to welcome an...
. The Pope travelled to the day's main event, the ticketed Hyde Park Prayer Vigil on the Eve of the Beatification of Cardinal Newman, by Popemobile. The vigil was attended by 80,000 people. The Pope's speech described Newman's life's work "as a struggle against the growing tendency to view religion as a purely private and subjective matter, a question of personal opinion", stating that it was a lesson for today, in which "an intellectual and moral relativism threatens to sap the very foundations of our society".
19 September
The final day of the Pope's visit saw the Pope fly by helicopter from London to BirminghamBirmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
for the main event of his visit, the beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
of Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
John Henry Newman in Cofton Park
Cofton Park
Cofton Park is a park located in south Birmingham, England.-History:The 135 acres of land land was acquired by Birmingham City Council in 1933 for £10,640 , from the trustees for William Walter Hinde...
in Birmingham. Local residents were required to carry vehicle passes as well as to carry proof of identity in order to leave their own homes. Attendance at the event was approximately 55,000, a figure said to have been reduced by the requirement to arrive at the location between 3am and 7am on special coaches for the 10am start.
The Cofton Park Mass was followed by a private visit to Birmingham Oratory
Birmingham Oratory
The Birmingham Oratory is a Catholic oratory and church, on the Hagley Road, in the Birmingham suburb of Edgbaston in England.-History:The church was constructed between 1907 and 1910 in the Baroque style as a memorial to Cardinal Newman, founder of the English Oratory...
, founded by John Henry Newman. The visit was preceded by controversy due to the exiling of three priests to monasteries in separate parts of the world.
The visit concluded with lunch and a meeting with the bishops of England, Scotland and Wales at St Mary's College, Oscott. The Pope gave a final speech at Birmingham Airport, before departing for Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
on a chartered Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
Airbus A320. British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
, as UK flag carrier, would have been the usual choice for a state Papal visit, but they were reportedly rejected due to concerns about strikes.
Other events
The Pope's schedule reportedly included free time to allow for the 83-year-old to take naps.In conjunction with the visit, an exhibition of Raphael's tapestries for the Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel
Sistine Chapel is the best-known chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope in Vatican City. It is famous for its architecture and its decoration that was frescoed throughout by Renaissance artists including Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli, Pietro Perugino, Pinturicchio...
took place at London's Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
from 8 September to 17 October 2010 where they were displayed for the first time alongside the Raphael cartoons
Raphael Cartoons
The Raphael Cartoons are seven large cartoons for tapestries, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, painted by the High Renaissance painter Raphael in 1515-16 and showing scenes from the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles...
used to make them; the cartoons having been in the British Royal Collection
Royal Collection
The Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
since 1623. This followed a reported scaling-back of earlier plans for a large exhibition of Vatican artworks at London's Royal Academy
Royal Academy
The Royal Academy of Arts is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly, London. The Royal Academy of Arts has a unique position in being an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects whose purpose is to promote the creation, enjoyment and...
.
Anti-terrorism arrests
On 17 September 2010 the Metropolitan PoliceMetropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
arrested five street cleaners under the Terrorism Act 2000
Terrorism Act 2000
The Terrorism Act 2000 is the first of a number of general Terrorism Acts passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It superseded and repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1989 and the Northern Ireland Act 1996...
in a pre-dawn raid at a London cleaning depot, in a suspected terrorist plot against the Pope on the second day of his state visit; a sixth person was arrested later in the day at his home "on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism". The men, aged between 26 and 50, had been working as street cleaners for contractors Veolia Environnement, on behalf of Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
and were based at the Chiltern Street depot in Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
.
The suspects were questioned at an unidentified London police station. The police did not uncover any hazardous items during an initial search of the business premises and other properties.
According to police some of the suspects were thought to be immigrants to Britain, from a variety of nations including a number from Algeria.
All the men were released without charge before the Pope's visit ended. It turned out they were arrested after joking about how the Popemobile
Popemobile
Popemobile is an informal name for the specially designed motor vehicles used by the pope during outdoor public appearances without having to employ the antiquated and often impractical sedia gestatoria. The Popemobile was designed to allow the pope to be more visible when greeting large crowds...
could not withstand an RPG attack.
Support
The visit saw support from a range of people and organisations, including several leaders within other religions. The President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim CommunityAhmadiyya Muslim Community
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the larger of two communities that arose from the Ahmadiyya movement founded in 1889 in India by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian . The original movement split into two factions soon after the death of the founder...
UK, Rafiq Hayat stated that "Religious leaders have a pivotal role to play in promoting peace and serving humanity. Indeed religions have far more commonalities than differences and we welcome moves that will help forge unity and foster greater understanding."
Vivian Wineman, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews
Board of Deputies of British Jews
The Board of Deputies of British Jews is the main representative body of British Jews. Founded in 1760 as a joint committee of the Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jewish communities in London, it has since become a widely recognised forum for the views of the different sectors of the UK Jewish...
, said "In an age where scepticism and ill-will towards religion is rising, it will be an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that there is much to unite people of faith and much that can be achieved when we work together for the greater good not only of our members, but for society as a whole."
Media coverage of the visit, which was largely critical before the event, was more positive during and following the Pope's visit. A BBC News correspondent noted that 'there was a tangible sense of relief, even of euphoria, among Pope Benedict's entourage during the return flight to Rome from Birmingham', while Stephen Glover in the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
suggested that it would 'be wonderful if Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, dared to speak with a fraction of the authority of the Pope'.
Opposition
The visit was opposed by a range of people and organisations including some Protestants, gay and secular groups due to a number of reasons, such as the Church's policies on the ordination of womenOrdination of women
Ordination in general religious usage is the process by which a person is consecrated . The ordination of women is a regular practice among some major religious groups, as it was of several religions of antiquity...
, homosexuality
Homosexuality and Roman Catholicism
In Roman Catholicism, homosexual acts are considered contrary to natural law and sinful, while homosexual desires are considered "disordered" but not themselves sinful. The Catholic Church considers human sexual behavior to be sacred, when properly expressed...
, contraception and AIDS
Roman Catholic Church and AIDS
Issues surrounding the Catholic Church and AIDS have become controversial in the past twenty years, primarily because many prominent religious leaders have publicly declared their opposition to the use of condoms for contraception or disease prevention. Many health workers and even some religious...
, as well as complaints over historical sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests. Former DUP leader Ian Paisley
Ian Paisley
Ian Richard Kyle Paisley, Baron Bannside, PC is a politician and church minister in Northern Ireland. As the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party , he and Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness were elected First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively on 8 May 2007.In addition to co-founding...
(known for his Anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed against Catholicism, and especially against the Catholic Church, its clergy or its adherents...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
) called the visit a "mistake" and the principal of Scotland's Free Church Training College
Free Church Training College
The Free Church Training College was established by the Free Church of Scotland in 1845 as a college for teacher training.In 1836, David Stow had established a Normal School in Glasgow but, following the Disruption of 1843, a legal ruling of 1845 compelled adherents of the Free Church to resign...
said the visit airbrushed the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
out of history and dishonoured reformer and nationalist John Knox
John Knox
John Knox was a Scottish clergyman and a leader of the Protestant Reformation who brought reformation to the church in Scotland. He was educated at the University of St Andrews or possibly the University of Glasgow and was ordained to the Catholic priesthood in 1536...
. On the eve of the visit, a letter by 50 public figures argued that the Pope's tour should not have been accorded the status of a state visit.
A number of groups, including the British Humanist Association
British Humanist Association
The British Humanist Association is an organisation of the United Kingdom which promotes Humanism and represents "people who seek to live good lives without religious or superstitious beliefs." The BHA is committed to secularism, human rights, democracy, egalitarianism and mutual respect...
and the National Secular Society
National Secular Society
The National Secular Society is a British campaigning organisation that promotes secularism and the separation of church and state. It holds that no-one should gain advantage or disadvantage because of their religion or lack of religion. It was founded by Charles Bradlaugh in 1866...
organised a campaign of protests against the visit. The Roman Catholic pressure group "Catholic Women's Ordination" arranged for London buses to carry advertisements encouraging the Pope to "Ordain Women Now" and also planned further unspecified lobbying action.
Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins
Clinton Richard Dawkins, FRS, FRSL , known as Richard Dawkins, is a British ethologist, evolutionary biologist and author...
gave a speech at the "Protest the Pope" rally, declaring the pope "an enemy of humanity", claiming that the Vatican supported Nazism
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
, bringing up the issue of the Pope's membership in the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
and arguing that Hitler was a Roman Catholic. Dawkins had previously supported a call for the Pope's arrest for "crimes against humanity", an idea first proposed by Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Eric Hitchens is an Anglo-American author and journalist whose books, essays, and journalistic career span more than four decades. He has been a columnist and literary critic at The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Slate, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry, and became a media fellow at the...
and described by a former editor of the Catholic Herald as "lunatic", and human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson
Geoffrey Robertson
Geoffrey Ronald Robertson QC is an Australian-born human rights lawyer, academic, author and broadcaster. He holds dual Australian and British citizenship....
was reported to have looked at options to charge the Pope over his alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. In July 2010 the UK government announced plans to change the law on universal jurisdiction to prevent the issue of an arrest warrant. Attempts to make a citizen's arrest on the Pope were abandoned by Peter Tatchell
Peter Tatchell
Peter Gary Tatchell is an Australian-born British political campaigner best known for his work with LGBT social movements...
. Members of Muslims Against the Crusades protested against the Pope in London. The Guardian reported that around 10,000 protesters marched in London against the Pope's visit on 18 September 2010.
Media coverage
The BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
marked the visit with documentaries including:
- Vatican: The Hidden World, a profile of the VaticanHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
with unprecedented access given - The Real Joseph Ratzinger, a papal profile
- Newman: Saint or Sinner?, a documentary about Cardinal Newman
- Benedict - Trials of a Pope, a documentary about the life of the Pope
See also
- List of journeys of Pope Benedict XVI
- Roman Catholicism in the United Kingdom
- Foreign Office papal visit memoForeign Office papal visit memoThe Foreign Office papal visit memo was an incident that occurred in the United Kingdom in April 2010, after it was revealed that Foreign Office civil servants working on preparing the State Visit of Pope Benedict XVI in 2010 had sent out an internal memo containing remarks that could be considered...
External links
- Apostolic journey to Britain - official website from Catholic Church in England and Wales
- Apostolic Journey to the United Kingdom - official website from the Holy SeeHoly SeeThe Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...