1,000 pipers to welcome Pope

The event will take place on the morning of 16 September - St Ninian's Day - as the pontiff arrives in Edinburgh to meet the Queen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

It is estimated there could be as many as a billion people watching worldwide.

Taking part in the parade will be more than 1,000 pipers, hundreds of schoolchildren, dozens of historical characters plus two nominated charities to greet the Pope and entertain the crowds who are expected to gather in the capital.

The Catholic Church has said the pipers will be drawn from bands in Scotland and further afield, with particular emphasis on school and youth groups.

It has also given further detail of the 26 historical figures who will be represented in the parade to chart the history of Christianity, with Scots literary figures Muriel Spark and George Mackay Brown added to the list, which already includes the likes of John Knox, Robert the Bruce and Mary Queen of Scots.

The charities that will benefit from fundraising at the parade have been named as Marie Curie Cancer Care and Mary's Meals.

Marie Curie has two hospices in Scotland - in Glasgow and Edinburgh - as well as a network of nurses working in communities across Scotland.

Mary's Meals sets up and runs school feeding projects in communities where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education. It currently provides daily meals for 400,000 children in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that the Orange Order is planning a "silent" protest in Edinburgh to mark the Pope's visit.