More information is emerging about the Pope’s trip the UK in September.Apparently Vatican officials travelled to Britain last week to stake out the territory.
The visit will begin in Scotland on Thursday 16 September with a Mass at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow.
This is the same venue as the one used by the previous Pope in 1982. Ratzinger will meet the Queen at Holyrood, possibly with a reception or garden party.
Friday 17 September will see the Pope visit his former best friend, the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace.
(The Archbishop should, perhaps, watch out for the Pope measuring up for curtains in anticipation of his own future occupation of the desirable riverside residence).
Herr Ratzinger will then — for some reason — address parliament in Westminster Hall and partake in an “ecumenical prayer service” in Westminster Abbey.
(His Holiness does not, of course, really believe in ecumenism. He has already told every other Christian denomination in the world that they are “defective” or inauthentic and only he has genuine access to the magic hotline).
The next day will see a Mass at Westminster Cathedral and a “prayer vigil” – possibly at Wembley Stadium.
The final day, Sunday, will be taken up with the “beatification” of Cardinal Newman, whose well-known homosexuality is unlikely to be part of Herr Ratzinger’s celebration.
This is designated a “state visit”, although it is difficult to know what “state business” will be conducted amidst the whirl of church services and prayer vigils. So why is the taxpayer expected to fork out for this religious orgy?
Meanwhile, the Tablet reports that a “discreet fundraising campaign has begun” to help Herr Ratzinger with his incidental expenses. The magazine says:
Potential donors are being approached by the Church to help fund the visit, anticipated to cost about £20 million, with the Church expected to pay around a quarter of that amount.
Ben Andradi, chairman of the Bishops’ Conference fund raising committee, said: ‘We are in discussions about the fund-raising and how it should be done. We are fortunate to benefit from a group of loyal donors who give discreetly as they believe in the mission of the Church in this country.’
While Catholics will have to pay a significant share of the costs of the visit, it is believed the Government will fund a large part, such as the cost of security, as it is a state visit.
A spokesman for the Foreign Office said the Government is expecting to fund an amount ‘usual in state visits’.
The Church will be anxious not to repeat the heavy debts incurred by Pope John Paul II’s visit in 1982.
The large open-air mass at Coventry airport cost £1M but only £26,000 was raised in collections at the Mass and parishes had to make up the shortfall.
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