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| Pope confirms UK visit for 2010 | Pope confirms UK visit for 2010 |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Pope Benedict XVI has confirmed he will visit the UK later this year. | Pope Benedict XVI has confirmed he will visit the UK later this year. |
| The pontiff spoke of the plan for his first apostolic visit in an address to Catholic bishops of England and Wales at the end of their pilgrimage to Rome. | The pontiff spoke of the plan for his first apostolic visit in an address to Catholic bishops of England and Wales at the end of their pilgrimage to Rome. |
| The Pope is expected to visit Birmingham - as part of the planned beatification of Cardinal John Newman, and Scotland. | The Pope is expected to visit Birmingham - as part of the planned beatification of Cardinal John Newman, and Scotland. |
| He has been formally invited by the prime minister. The last Pope to visit the UK was John Paul II in 1982. | He has been formally invited by the prime minister. The last Pope to visit the UK was John Paul II in 1982. |
| No dates or official itinerary have yet been set for the visit but officials at the Vatican and in the UK told the BBC it was likely to take place in September. | No dates or official itinerary have yet been set for the visit but officials at the Vatican and in the UK told the BBC it was likely to take place in September. |
| Further details are expected early in March, a spokesman for the Catholic Communications Network said. | Further details are expected early in March, a spokesman for the Catholic Communications Network said. |
| The Pope was formally invited to visit the UK by Prime Minister Gordon Brown last February. Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy also invited him to visit Scotland. | The Pope was formally invited to visit the UK by Prime Minister Gordon Brown last February. Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy also invited him to visit Scotland. |
| In the speech, published on the Vatican Radio website, Pope Benedict offered his "warmest good wishes and prayers" for the bishops and all the faithful entrusted to their care. | In the speech, published on the Vatican Radio website, Pope Benedict offered his "warmest good wishes and prayers" for the bishops and all the faithful entrusted to their care. |
| Your country is well-known for its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of society Pope Benedict XVI | Your country is well-known for its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of society Pope Benedict XVI |
| He urged them to warmly welcome disaffected Anglicans who wanted to join the Catholic Church. | He urged them to warmly welcome disaffected Anglicans who wanted to join the Catholic Church. |
| Anglican Archbishop of York John Sentamu said the Pope would be "very welcome". | Anglican Archbishop of York John Sentamu said the Pope would be "very welcome". |
| He told BBC News: "I've met him in Rome. We had wonderful conversations and whatever people may think about the ordinariate, they shouldn't use that as a reason for not accepting one of our great Christian leaders." | He told BBC News: "I've met him in Rome. We had wonderful conversations and whatever people may think about the ordinariate, they shouldn't use that as a reason for not accepting one of our great Christian leaders." |
| The Catholic Church has offered disaffected Anglicans the prospect of their own hierarchies - ordinariates - within the Catholic system, leading to predictions that whole congregations opposed to plans for women bishops might transfer from the Church of England. | The Catholic Church has offered disaffected Anglicans the prospect of their own hierarchies - ordinariates - within the Catholic system, leading to predictions that whole congregations opposed to plans for women bishops might transfer from the Church of England. |
| Protest petition | Protest petition |
| During his speech, in an apparent reference to the Church's stance on issues such as gay adoption, the Pope urged the bishops to ensure that its moral teaching was always presented in its "entirety" and "convincingly defended". | |
| He said: "Your country is well-known for its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of society. | He said: "Your country is well-known for its firm commitment to equality of opportunity for all members of society. |
| "Yet, as you have rightly pointed out, the effect of some of the legislation designed to achieve this goal has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs. | "Yet, as you have rightly pointed out, the effect of some of the legislation designed to achieve this goal has been to impose unjust limitations on the freedom of religious communities to act in accordance with their beliefs. |
| The taxpayer in this country is going to be faced with a bill of some £20m for the visit of the Pope. A visit in which he has already indicated, he will attack equal rights and promote discrimination Terry SandersonNational Secular Society | The taxpayer in this country is going to be faced with a bill of some £20m for the visit of the Pope. A visit in which he has already indicated, he will attack equal rights and promote discrimination Terry SandersonNational Secular Society |
| "In some respects it actually violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded and by which it is guaranteed." | "In some respects it actually violates the natural law upon which the equality of all human beings is grounded and by which it is guaranteed." |
| He also urged the bishops to continue to insist upon their right to participate in national debate through "respectful dialogue with other elements in society". | He also urged the bishops to continue to insist upon their right to participate in national debate through "respectful dialogue with other elements in society". |
| By doing so, the Pope said, they would be "maintaining long-standing British traditions of freedom of expression and honest exchange of opinion" as well as "giving voice to the convictions of many people who lack the means to express them". | By doing so, the Pope said, they would be "maintaining long-standing British traditions of freedom of expression and honest exchange of opinion" as well as "giving voice to the convictions of many people who lack the means to express them". |
| The National Secular Society (NSS) said it would mount a protest campaign made up of gay groups, victims of clerical abuse, feminists, family planning organisations and pro-abortion groups among others. | The National Secular Society (NSS) said it would mount a protest campaign made up of gay groups, victims of clerical abuse, feminists, family planning organisations and pro-abortion groups among others. |
| President Terry Sanderson said: "The taxpayer in this country is going to be faced with a bill of some £20m for the visit of the Pope. | President Terry Sanderson said: "The taxpayer in this country is going to be faced with a bill of some £20m for the visit of the Pope. |
| "A visit in which he has already indicated, he will attack equal rights and promote discrimination. | "A visit in which he has already indicated, he will attack equal rights and promote discrimination. |
| "We have a petition online where people can make clear their opposition to the state funding of this visit. If the Catholic Church wishes its leader to come here, it should pay for the visit itself." | "We have a petition online where people can make clear their opposition to the state funding of this visit. If the Catholic Church wishes its leader to come here, it should pay for the visit itself." |