Scotland should take pride in Pope's visit

THE visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Scotland in September – the start of the first papal visit to Britain since that of Pope John Paul II in 1982 – should be the occasion for broad and warm welcome.

Scotland will take pride that it is to be the first stop in his four-day tour of the UK. Pope Benedict will be received by the Queen, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, and he will also hold a public mass in Glasgow. As this will be the first ever papal tour of Britain – the 1982 visit was a pastoral one – this renders the meeting of these two heads of faith all the more historic and significant.

Comparisons will inevitably be made with the reception Pope John Paul received from a rapturous crowd of 300,000 at Bellahouston. It is hard to see how such a turn-out could be bettered. John Paul was not only seen as a great unifier; he was also the symbol of the liberation of millions of Catholics from Soviet oppression across central Europe. This is what lent him his charisma.

Pope Benedict is not quite from the same unifying tradition, and indeed there was a fear that, with a reputation for sticking to his guns, he would be a divisive figure. But many Catholics have appreciated the firm and forthright stance he has made on many issues and at a time when certainty of faith has never been under greater challenge. The Catholic Church is one of the greatest global faiths across the world and it is this colossal following that commands special acknowledgement and respect.