Opportunity Knox for the Pope's parade

HE WAS the founding father of Scottish Protestantism and a scourge of the Catholic church, but John Knox will be out on the streets as part of the celebrations when the Pope comes to Edinburgh.

The fiery 16th-century preacher who led the Scottish Reformation is one of the historical characters to be portrayed in a pageant which will proceed along Princes Street as part of a St Ninian's Day parade as Benedict XVI visits the Capital in September.

Church organisers said they wanted the pontiff's visit to be a "unifying" occasion and were planning the parade as a national event rather than a purely Catholic affair.

The pontiff is due to fly into Edinburgh on September 16 at the start of a four-day visit to the UK. He will go first to the Palace of Holyroodhouse for a meeting with the Queen, then drive through the city centre to a lunch at Cardinal Keith O'Brien's official residence in Morningside.

The parade is being timed to take place while the Pope is in the palace.

The procession will be led by 1000 pipers, followed by around 800 schoolchildren from the 14 schools across Scotland named after St Ninian.

The final element of the parade will be the historical pageant, featuring 26 characters from Scotland's Christian past.