AP: Pope to visit England, Scotland in September

Posted by Kendall Harmon

Pope Benedict XVI will visit Scotland and England in September in a four-day visit combining preaching and diplomacy, Buckingham Palace announced Tuesday.

British officials described it as an unprecedented "papal visit with the status of a state visit," though some of the usual trappings laid on for a visiting head of state will not be offered to the pope. An earlier visit by Pope John Paul II in 1982 was a pastoral visit only.

During his visit Benedict plans to conduct a public mass in Glasgow's Bellahouston Park, where some 300,000 people swarmed a mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II during his pastoral visit in 1982. John Paul's visit was strictly to visit his flock — rather than as a head of a state. John Paul was not received by the queen.

Read it all.

Filed under: * Culture-WatchReligion & Culture* International News & CommentaryEngland / UK--Scotland* Religion News & CommentaryOther ChurchesRoman CatholicPope Benedict XVI

2 Comments
Posted March 16, 2010 at 3:52 pm [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. Robert Dedmon wrote:

Does a Head of State visit the United Kingdom as a Head of
State without an invitation from the Sovereign?

March 16, 6:15 pm | [comment link]
2. wvparson wrote:

No Robert but the Sovereign always so acts on the advice of the Prime Minister.

March 17, 11:32 am | [comment link]
Registered members must log in to comment.




Next entry (above): An IBD Editorial on Social Security: Time To Get A Grip On The Third Rail

Previous entry (below): The Latest from Intrade on the Health Care Bill Passing

Return to blog homepage

Return to Mobile view (headlines)