The Priests, a trio of clerics from Northern Ireland, are to headline a key event during Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK, performing in front of 80,000 people in Hyde Park, London.The platinum-selling trio – brothers Eugene and Martin O'Hagan and their friend, David Delargy – have previously sung at the Vatican and gone head-to-head with Pope Benedict, a Classical Brit award nominee, in the album charts twice before.
The pope will be in the UK from 16 September, spending two days in London. Other artists lined up for his visit include Susan Boyle, who will perform in the mass at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, and screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce, who will compere the London event.
The venues are together expected to attract up to 300,000 people.
There are six million Catholics in England, Scotland and Wales and about 1.2 million attend mass every week. Papal appearances often have an element of showbusiness to them.
In 2008 the US Conference of Catholic Bishops arranged performances by American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson and jazz singer Harry Connick Jr, while the weekly Vatican audiences can resemble a variety show with their brass bands, pianists, jugglers and choristers.
Those unable to go to the performances during the papal visit will be able to watch online streaming of the events.
People going to the parks face a "pay to pray" levy – £25 for the beatification of Cardinal Henry Newman in Birmingham, £10 for the vigil in Hyde Park, and £20 for the mass in Glasgow.
The money will finance transport costs and "pilgrim" packs of commemorative items. Passes to see the pope are only available through churches, which will decide whether they allocate on a lottery or first come, first served, basis.
A church spokesman said: "There will clearly be more demand than supply. The pope wants to keep things simple. There is an acceptance of a limited timescale and there was never going to be the possibility for all Catholics to see him."
Organisers insist that nobody should feel compelled to part with more money. But one One parish website says money will also be collected at the time of allocation.
A Vatican spokesman said it was rare for anyone to have to pay to see Benedict. The Rev Federico Lombardi said that during the 2008 papal visit to the US tickets were free.
Father Joseph Evans, writing in the Catholic Herald, said clergy were in an awkward position last May, after appealing to congregations to contribute to the costs of the visit while knowing that few among them would get to see the pope.
Most of the £5m so far raised through private and parish collections will pay for staging the public gatherings.
SIC: TGUK