A JOHN KNOX lookalike is to welcome the Pope to Scotland. The actor has been hired by the Catholic Church to play the leader of Scotland's Protestant Reformation in a pageant of the country's historical figures.
The 25 characters will parade in front of the pontiff's Popemobile on Princes Street, Edinburgh, during his visit in September.
Knox's surprise inclusion by Catholic Church leaders follows accusations that this year's 450th anniversary of the Reformation is being ignored by the Scottish Government.
The Reformation of 1560 revoked the Pope's authority in Scotland and banned Catholic Mass.
Last night, Church of Scotland leaders welcomed the fact Knox will feature.
Also depicted will be Mary Queen of Scots, Bonnie Prince Charlie, William Wallace, St Andrew, Robert the Bruce, Eric Liddell, St Ninian, St Margaret, St Columba and Alexander Fleming.
A Church of Scotland spokesman said: "It is a sign of a healthy nation that diversity within the Christian community is something to be celebrated as opposed to a source of division and struggle.
"It is a gift to those of us of a Protestant persuasion that by including this figure, the Catholic Church is contributing to the celebrations of the Reformation."
The parade - with thousands of cheering well-wishers lining the route - will also include 1000 pipers.
Peter Kearney, spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland, said Knox had been included because he was "an important gure" in Scottish history.
He said: "We have a shared Christian history and we are celebrating that.
"Each character, including Knox, will be played by an amateur actor and be in historically accurate costume.
"They will march down Princes Street before the Popemobile. By including Knox, we are highlighting our shared Christian heritage."
A leading Free Church theologian this month accused the Scottish government of "airbrushing" the Reformation out of history while celebrating the visit by Pope Benedict.
Professor Donald Macleod, former principal of the Free Church College in Edinburgh, said the SNP administration was in "Knox denial".
Historian Professor Tom Devine, a Catholic, has also described as "scandalous" the low-key way the 450th anniversary is being marked.
First Minister Alex Salmond has said requests to the government for support in marking the 450th anniversary would be considered.
The Pope's four-day UK visit begins on September 16.
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