The £10m bill for the Pope's visit to the UK last month was split between six government departments, with £3.7m of costs coming from environment and energy budgets, documents show.The way in which the costs of the controversial visit were divided across government has angered some environmentalists at a time when spending on carbon reduction is under threat and the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) is fighting for its independence.
The information was revealed in a Freedom of Information Act request filed to the Treasury via the website whatdotheyknow.com.
The Treasury said the total budget for the four-day visit, excluding policing, was £10m.
These costs were administered by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which paid the first £750,000.
The remaining £9.25m was split equally between the five departments deemed by the Treasury as having policy objectives aligned with the government's aims for the Pope's visit.
The departments of communities and local government, education and international development also contributed.
In a statement regarding Decc's contribution the Foreign Office said the Vatican had "a proactive stance" on the environment the Pope's visit would "reposition the issue of climate change not just as a matter of economics and energy security, but also one of social justice, stewardship of the natural world and of fundamental import to the peaceful coexistence of man".
During the visit, the climate and energy secretary, Chris Huhne, met with Cardinal Turkson, the Vatican lead on climate change. However no announcements have been made about what was discussed.
Speaking to MPs, peers and religious leaders gathered at Westminster hall, Pope Benedict XVI made a brief mention of the environment. He said: "The Holy See also looks forward to exploring with the United Kingdom new ways to promote environmental responsibility, to the benefit of all."
Leader of the Green party, Caroline Lucas, said the Pope was not known for his achievements in addressing climate change.
She said: "At a time of severe financial cuts when Decc itself is fighting for survival it seems quite extraordinary that these departments should have been asked to contribute to the Pope's visit which it seems has little or nothing to do with advancing aims on climate change."
Jonathan Porritt, the former chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, which was axed in July as part of cost-cutting measures, said: "My comment on this to the secretary of state for Decc and Defra is 'say 10 Hail Marys and rethink your priorities.' "
Grace Bennett, policy manager at the Micropower Council a trade body for companies specialising in small-scale renewable energy, said: "This type of expenditure seems absurd at a time when policies crucial to our transition to a genuine low-carbon economy such as the renewable heat incentive and the feed-in tariff are at risk."
The Vatican has taken steps to green its energy supply.
The roof of the Paul VI auditorium carries 2,700 solar panels - a gift worth $1.5m (£940,000) from the German company Solar World.
Another wealthy donor paid for trees to be planted in a Hungarian national park to offset all of the Vatican's carbon emissions.
In 2014 the Vatican will open its €500m 100-megawatt solar power plant.
This will make Vatican City, the world's smallest country, the first in the world to be powered solely by renewables.
Excess solar electricity will be exported across its borders into Italy, where it will be used to power 40,000 homes.
Based on the current feed-in tariff, electricity produced by the plant could earn the Vatican €57m (£49m) a year, according to estimates by the UK firm Solar Century.
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