Letter: An invitation to discuss the Pope

I CANNOT say if Iain Banks is a "fairly unpleasant individual". I have never met the man though I'm willing to have him over for tea to settle the matter.

I'm not sure what we'll talk about but a good place to start might be how he has got to know the Holy Father and the grounds for the antipathy which the author has for him (News, 5 September). I assume, given the personal nature of his rebuke to Pope Benedict, that the two go back a long way. It's surprising because other people who have met him tell me he is a thoughtful listener with a once-in-a-generation mind. My Dad would want me to add that Cardinal Ratzinger once held a door open for him.

Dani Garavelli's eccentric prelude to the Papal Visit asked what Benedict's message to Scotland might be (Insight, 5 September). This is a strange question. It's a racing certainty that he'll tell us that God is love and that he loved us so much he sent us his Son to save us from ourselves. It's a simple message and it's not changed very much in two millennia.

I'm much less certain which Scotland will be on show. Will it be the optimistic, open-minded and hospitable land of ideas? Or will it be the embittered, chauvinistic, hostile land of demagogues? I'm beginning to wonder which one Mr Banks and friends belong to. Having him over for tea will help me work that out.

Dr William Kilbride, Bishopbriggs