The Pope Comes To The UK On First State Papal Visit

Pope Benedict the Sixteenth is visiting the UK between 16 and 19 September in what will be the first papal visit to the UK since that of John Paul II in 1982 and the first State visit since the Reformation and the split with Rome!

Papal Visit UK 2010

This is an historic occasion for the United Kingdom ad for Scotland which will host the first State Mass of a Pope in centuries.

The late, great Pope John Paul II came on a pastoral visit to the UK whereas Pope Benedict is coming at the express invitation of the British Government and the Queen and this is why the Government is incurring part of the State visit expenses and the Catholic Church is contributing around £10 million.

However, estimates from marketing bureaus predict that the extra advertising, tourist visiting and media coverage for the UK cities involved will bring in an extra £13 million to Glasgow and Edinburgh alone!

Pope Benedict is to be greeted personally by the Duke of Edinburgh at Edinburgh airport on Thursday 16th September as a special sign of respect for the Pope and the Pope will then meet the Queen at Scotland’s  Holyrood Palace.

This visit will delight millions of Catholics who comprise 11% of the UK’s population and, as such, are the largest minority group in the UK. Catholics are currently suffering from a ‘silent’ persecution of their Church and beliefs and face attacks on their faith, school system and freedom of speech in an often silent and hidden manner let alone the outright criticisms that are levelled at the Pope and Church which no celebrity or otherwise would dare to invoke against any other religion.

For more information on the Pope’s historic visit click on these links: