Pope to start UK tour in Edinburgh

POPE Benedict XVI will fly into Edinburgh to begin the first ever papal state visit to Great Britain.

He arrives in the Capital on 16 September for the four-day visit.

The 83-year-old pontiff is expected to use his Popemobile to travel to an awaiting car which will take him to the Palace of Holyroodhouse for a meeting with the Queen and dignitaries, including First Minister Alex Salmond.

It will be the first Papal visit to Britain since 1982, when Pope John Paul II's six-day tour drew huge crowds.

In a historic move, it will also be the first ever official Papal visit to Britain. The 1982 trip was a pastoral one.

Pope Benedict XVI will make his visit between September 16 and 19.

The Pontiff will also travel to Glasgow, London and Coventry during his four-day stay.

During the visit the Pope will beatify the nineteenth century theologian and educationalist Cardinal John Henry Newman at a public mass in Coventry.

The visit will also include a public mass in Glasgow and a prayer vigil in London.

He will also meet the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace and pray with other church leaders at Westminster Abbey.

A joint statement from the Government and the Catholic bishops of England, Wales and Scotland welcomed the visit.

A news conference at the Foreign Office was told the Pope would be received at Holyrood Palace by the Queen on the first day of his visit.

He will also visit Glasgow for a giant open air mass at Bellahouston Park following in the footsteps of his predecessor Pope John Paul II who said mass there in 1982.

The Pope's itinerary includes a "major speech" to British civil society at Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament, it was announced.

He will beatify Cardinal Newman, the 19th convert to Catholicism, at a ceremony at Coventry Airport, bringing the cleric a step closer to becoming the first non-martyred English saint since the Reformation.

Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, a Catholic, who is the minister leading the preparations for the visit, welcomed the forthcoming visit.

"As we all know, this is a truly unique event. It is the first ever official Papal visit to our country combining state to state discussions and related engagements as well as pastoral events being organised by the Catholic bishops conferences of England, Wales and Scotland," he said.