Pope formally invited to come to Scotland

Published on Saturday 28 February 2009 18:48

THE prospect of Scotland's first papal visit in almost 30 years edged closer last night when it was revealed that the Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy has extended a formal invitation to the Pontiff.

Murphy has also invited Barack Obama north of the border when he visits the UK for the G20 summit in April. "I would like both of them to come to Scotland," Murphy said.

The Scottish Secretary has spoken to the Prime Minister about a Scottish visit by Pope Benedict XVI, below, after Gordon Brown invited him to the UK during a Vatican meeting.

Murphy said it will be for Downing Street, Buckingham Palace and the Vatican to work out the details of any papal visit but that the feedback so far has been "positive".

Talks between the Prime Minister and the Pope last month in the Vatican covered international debt and the global economic crisis and culminated in an invite to the UK.

"I spoke to the Prime Minister about it on Monday on the back of it, and said as part of the UK visit – in the discussions about when, how and what – a visit to Scotland I think would be appreciated by Scots," Murphy said, who has written to Downing Street to formalise the invitation.

The invitation to Obama is being done through the Foreign Office.

Pope John Paul II made a six-day trip in 1982, which included a mass in Bellahouston Park in Glasgow attended by about 300,000 people.

The date of any UK visit is not clear, according to Murphy, although the Prime Minister has said the Pontiff could visit as soon as he wanted. The 81-year-old Pope is due to visit Cameroon and Angola this month, with Israel planned for later in the year.

A spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland said it is too early to say what form a visit would take. But he added: "We would absolutely welcome the possibility of a visit by Pope Benedict XVI. But, of course, we appreciate there are many other countries who have never had a papal visit and would like one."