O'Brien gives thanks after Pope's visit

CARDINAL Keith O'Brien, the leader of Scotland's Catholics, has issued a message of thanks to the people of Scotland for making the visit of Pope Benedict XVI "such a happy and memorable day".

A joint letter from Cardinal O'Brien, Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, and Glasgow's Archbishop Mario Conti expressed their "heartfelt gratitude" for the welcome given to the pontiff last Thursday - and for making him an "honorary Scot" for the day.

They said a special thank-you to the Queen for receiving the Pope "so graciously".

The letter also thanked the UK Government, the Scottish Government and Edinburgh City Council for their support and co-operation in planning a "day of days" which allowed 200,000 people to see the Pope in person during his visit to Scotland.

"Months of preparation and hard work involved countless agencies and thousands of individuals. To each and every one of you our sincere thanks are due for the contribution you made to the resounding success of the day.

"Thank-you from the bottom of our heart."