UK ministers visit Pope in Rome

Published Monday, 13 February 2012

A delegation of senior British politicians is to visit Pope Benedict in Rome and it is understood a possible Papal visit to Northern Ireland could be on the agenda.

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Papal visit
Interview: Michael Kelly

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The presence in the group of Owen Patterson, Northern Ireland Secretary of State, has led some to speculate that the Pontiff wants to discuss a possible visit.

Senior sources in London insist that the visit, which will include a 20 minute meeting with Pope Benedict, is a reciprocal trip after the Holy Father's successful visit to the UK in 2010.

Primate of Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady said the inclusion of Owen Paterson in the delegation is noteworthy.

Cardinal Brady has invited the Pope to visit Ireland, north and south, to coincide with the 50th Eucharistic congress which takes place in Dublin in June.

Cardinal Brady said that while child scandals in the Catholic Church had rocked the faith of many, he believes if Benedict XVI were to come here such a visit could help the healing process.

He also acknowledged the bridges the Queen has built between Ireland and Britain with her visit last year.

Deputy Editor of the Irish Catholic, Michael Kelly, said the trip to Rome is significant.

He said: "This is a high level delegation of British government ministers going to the Vatican for these talks.

"The other ministers that are involved, the Minister for climate change, the Minister for international development, the Secretary of State for Scotland, these are issues that the Vatican are very engaged on in the international sphere.

"Mr Paterson is quite different from the others, one wouldn't imagine that he would be conventionally linked to any talks that would be going on between the British government and the Vatican so I think this is a clear indication that the Vatican want to talk, obviously about what is going on in the peace process, the developments that have been going on there.

"Benedict, since his election in 2005, has been very interested in those issues and I think the fact that Mr Paterson will be meeting with the Pope for such a long time relatively speaking, is very significant."

Michael Kelly explained that diplomatically, politicians tend to play down the likelihood of Papal visits.

"The Vatican doesn't like politicians talking up the possibility of a Papal visit, they like that to come from themselves or from senior church men in the particular host country.

"But obviously in the context of a twenty minute visit, they are going to be discussing the possibility of the Pope visiting Northern Ireland, that's very much part of the Vatican agenda.

"They see it as tying in with Benedict's very successful visit to Britain in 2010 and of course the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the Republic last year which was so successful as well and seen by many people as clearing the way for Benedict to visit Northern Ireland, which in many ways is seen as the unfinished visit of John Paul's visit in 1979 to Ireland," he said.

Comments

5 Comments

Michael H in Belfast wrote (490 days ago):

Paddy, I can see your point of view and agree that Catholics have every right to welcome or invite this man. I will not physically stand in anyone's way. I merely pointed out I would not be out with the welcome wagon. As for no Pope doing anything to a Protestant, you should maybe check your history on that one. For Example: On the night of August 24, 1572 - known as St. Bartholomew's Day - Catholic soldiers swept through Huguenot neighborhoods of Paris in a foreshadowing of what would happen to the Jews under Nazi rule. Thousands were slaughtered in their homes and other massacres timed for the same night occurred in cities across France. In response to this, Pope Gregory XIII wrote to France's King Charles IX: "We rejoice with you that with the help of God you have relieved the world of these wretched heretics." Pope Pius sent Catholic troops into France to aid in the repression efforts, ordering the army commander to kill all prisoners. Pius, unsurprisingly, was later canonized as a saint. In the Catholic Church, sainthood is an honor which goes not to the nicest person or to someone who has aided humanity, but to those Catholics who have done great deeds to advance the cause of Catholicism.

PD in Ireland wrote (491 days ago):

Just as a correction of facts: The Queen is "Supreme Governor of the Church of England" hence the head of that Protestant Church/denomination. This is just a purely formal position without any real authority. Also as Monarch she is part of an institution, which through the Act of Settlement 1701, excluded Roman Catholics or those married to Catholics from succession to the throne. Therefore on her visit to Ireland or any other country for that matter she visits as a) head of a foreign country b) head of the particular church/faith c) head of an institution which discriminates openly against people of a particular faith. This is not a slight against the Queen as she has no power, directly, to change any of these facts.

Paddy in Omagh wrote (492 days ago):

To be fair both the first posters opinions are not relevant as your not roman catholic.. That doesnt mean you should dissapprove a visit to us on the other side.. The republic welcomed the queen after Ireland's history with the united kingdom and she was made welcome.. That's more significant than if the pope visited here.. As after all no pope did anything to a Protestant so really I can't see the point.. How ever.. If your religion is bias towards others "and goes against what it stands for" then I can't see how that can be seen as a Christian one.

norman.d in bangor wrote (492 days ago):

if the vatican pay for his visit he can come if anyone wants to see him a man whos church is surrounded by sex abuse scandel there will be more people protesting than want to cheer him here i think he should forget about coming

Michael in Belfast wrote (492 days ago):

As a Protestant I can't possibly welcome such a visit as it goes against everything Protestantism stands for - those who protest against the archaic beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church. As this man is the head of this church it stands to reason Protestants would not be happy to see him here. Before anyone jumps in with 'the Queen Visited the Republic' it is hardly the same thing as the Queen is not the Head of the Protestant Church.