HOPES were being raised yesterday that the Pope could be set to visit Scotland – the first such visit for almost 30 years.While the Pope's spokesman said no dates had been confirmed, a Downing Street source told The Scotsman last night that the Prime Minister was hopeful that any visit would include Scotland.
"Gordon is very keen," the source said. "We are trying to work out if the Pope is able to visit. (The Prime Minister] is very keen that he gets out around the UK if he possibly can come, and that obviously includes Scotland."
If a visit were to be agreed, it would be only the second visit of a pope to the UK. Pope John Paul II made a six-day trip in 1982, which included mass at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow attended by about 300,000 people – believed to be the largest public gathering in Scotland's history.
Catholic Church sources in Glasgow and London told The Scotsman that a key factor would be whether the Pope made a state visit – which would be funded by the government and would be likely to include an audience with the Queen and an address to the Houses of Parliament – or a "pastoral" visit, like that made by John Paul II, which would be paid for by the Catholic Church and allow the estimated 695,000 Scots Catholics greater access to the Pope.
Another factor is the Pope's age – Benedict is 81, and already committed to visiting Cameroon, Angola and Israel this year, while John Paul II was 58 when he came to Scotland.
Any visit would be unlikely to happen until next year at the earliest, which could provide a pre-election boost for the Prime Minister.
A spokesman for the Scottish Catholic Church said: "We would absolutely welcome the possibility of a papal visit to Scotland."
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(Source: RCHN)