Senior Free Presbyterians have said they will protest at any visit to Northern Ireland by Pope Benedict XVI. The Pope has received an invite to visit the province. Irish Catholic Bishops are keen that he would visit the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland to complete the pastoral visit by Pope John Paul II in the autumn of 1979.
On that occasion the Pope was unable to visit Armagh due to the security situation.
The Rev David McIlveen of Sandown Road Free Presbyterian Church has told the Belfast Telegraph that he and his colleagues would not welcome such a visit.
"If he does come, we would protest against his visit because of what he stands for theologically," he said.
If the Pope did accept the Irish Bishops' invitation, he would be likely to visit Northern Ireland after First Minister Ian Paisley steps down, as expected, as Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church in the near future.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
No responsibility or liability shall attach itself to either myself or to the blogspot ‘Clerical Whispers’ for any or all of the articles placed here.
The placing of an article hereupon does not necessarily imply that I agree or accept the contents of the article as being necessarily factual in theology, dogma or otherwise.
Sotto Voce