Pope Benedict XVI, head of the Catholic church, will arrive in Edinburgh on 16 September 2010 for a four-day visit to the UK. The trip will take in engagements in Scotland and England and will be only the second visit by an incumbent Pope to Britain, the first having taken place when Pope John Paul II came for six days in 1982.
Pope Benedict XVI’s Visit to the UK 2010
The Papal visit will last for four days, from Thursday 16th to Sunday 19th September. The theme for the visit will be the Latin phrase ‘cor ad cor loquitum’ which translates as ‘heart speaks to heart’ and which was the motto of the noted Victorian theologian John Henry Newman, who will be beatified by the Pope during the course of the visit.
Over the four days in which he will be in the UK, the Pope will conduct arange of meetings and engagements. In Edinburgh, he will be greeted by the Queen at Holyrood Palace and will travel along Princes Street in the ‘popemobile’ before travelling to Glasgow to celebrate Mass in Bellahouston Park, then going on to London.
Meetings with a range of religious and political leaders are scheduled, including a celebration of Evening Prayer in Westminster Abbey, which will also be attended by the Archbishop of Canterbury, senior churchman in the Church of England. On Sunday the Pope will visit Birmingham, where he will end his visit, celebrating Mass, and carrying out the Beatification of Cardinal Newman.
Opposition to the Pope’s Visit
The State Visit of Pope Benedict XVI has not been universally welcomed. In April 2010 it was revealed that civil servants had distributed a memo including ‘alternative suggestions’ for the Papal visit, including the suggestion that the 83-year old Pontiff should perform forward rolls with a group of children to promote a healthy lifestyle (The Sunday Times “Foreign Office sorry for insult to Pope Benedict XVI” April 25 2010).
It is expected that the Papal visit will generate significant protests. Representatives of Northern Ireland’s Free Presbyterian church are reported to be travelling to Scotland to protest against the visit (Belfast Telegraph “Ian Paisley's Pope protest 'is an embarrassment'”, 14 September 2010). Protest the Pope, an umbrella group opposing the visit and made up of many groups including the National Secular Society, has organised meetings and protests and plans a rally in Hyde Park on Saturday 18 September.
Opponents of the Pope offer a range of reasons for objecting to the visit. The Catholic church’s involvement in sex abuse scandals, its opposition to homosexuality and abortion, rejection of women, married or gay priests are among issues cited by opponents, as has the cost of the visit, a considerable portion of which will be borne by the UK taxpayer (The Guardian “Pope faces protests and apathy on visit to Britain” 10 September 2010).
An e-petition submitted by veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell called on the Prime Minister ‘to disassociate the British government from the Pope's intolerant views ahead of the Papal visit to Britain in September 2010’ and attracted over 12,000 signatures. The Government response was that that Pope Benedict’s visit will provide an opportunity to strengthen and build on our relationship with the Holy See’(UK government website).
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