Final arrangements are being made over the distribution of passes and transport plans for the Pope’s state visit to the UK, eight days ahead of him delivering Mass in Glasgow. Church officials have confirmed wristbands, which will act as passes to get into Bellahouston Park, will be given to worshippers for the papal Mass the day before the event. It had been expected so-called Pilgrim Packs to be delivered in advance would contain the bands.
But organisers have confirmed they will now send passes to the nominated pilgrim leaders for distribution the night before on the advice of the police.
Letters yesterday gave pilgrim leaders first details of how to get to the park on the south side of Glasgow on September 16, with thousands now expected to use the Glasgow Subway.
The latest details come after The Herald revealed one-in-four passes for the Mass had not been allocated, with 75,000 due to attend the event, 25,000 short of capacity.
Some worshippers are known to have been put off by the £20 donation requested for a pass but deadlines have been extended with Catholic leaders claiming the charge is not mandatory.
Bellahouston co-ordinator, Monsignor Peter Smith, wrote to pilgrim leaders: “The arrangements sent to you by (bus firm) Stagecoach may not be what you were expecting and may involve a staged departure from your parish and the use of public transport services.
“Please give serious consideration to what your arrangements propose before deciding if they are unsatisfactory or inadequate for the needs of your parish group.
“The staged departures are to ensure that when your parish travels, it does so not competing with other parishes using the same method of transport.
“If you are completely dissatisfied with the arrangements made for your parish pilgrim group through Stagecoach, you should feel free to make your own alternative arrangements.”
Bishop Joseph Toal, who is responsible for many remote Highland and island parishes, had indicated anxiety over the lack of a plan of action for transportation in his latest bulletin to parishioners in the Dioscese of Argyll and Isles, posted on Sunday.
He said: “I have no further information about arrangements for Bellahouston. We just hope and pray the arrangements for travel will eventually come and they will allow all who have signed up to be there and to participate in this significant celebration of our Catholic faith in Scotland.
“We pray the Holy Father will get a great welcome from the people of Scotland and that the weather will be kind to us all.”
Yesterday it also emerged James MacMillan, the Scottish composer who has written new music for the visit, said he believes there are some in the Church who are “keen on making this visit a failure” and has called for an investigation.
He said letters to Scottish parishes from “Mission Control” have “all been negative, stressing the difficulties of getting to Bellahouston”.
Mr MacMillan wrote on a blog: “It is my understanding the assault courses and the considerable obstacles continually presented in the path of the faithful, who want to attend these open air masses are not the doings of the state or police authorities.
“They have been manufactured by Church spokesmen alone. We are forced to ask then, ‘Why is the RC Church trying to put people off from attending the papal Mass?’”
Peter Kearney, a spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said the protocol regarding wristbands was a security measure requested on the advice of police.
He said: “The wristbands are not being distributed until the day of the event.
“They are going to the designated pilgrim leaders who will co-ordinate their groups. We know who the pilgrim leaders are. They will be securely couriered to them the night before so they have them that morning, the morning of the 16th.
“The advice was given that you don’t want the passes to be out in circulation for any length of time before the event.”
SIC: HS/UK