The head of the Catholic Church in Tayside has said he is sure the legacy of the Pope’s visit to Britain in September will “more than justify the costs.”
Matthew Elliott, chief executive of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said, “No visitor should cost UK taxpayers such a huge sum of money.
“Clearly there are special security considerations that are required for the Pope but there should be a limit on these costs.
“The visiting party, in this case the Vatican, should contribute to the cost of the visit, rather than expecting UK taxpayers to pick up this enormous bill.”
The National Secular Society has dismissed government claims the cost to the taxpayer of the papal visit will be £12 million, and said the cost of security could increase that figure by a factor of ten.
Society president Terry Sanderson said, “Strathclyde Police are expected to protect the Pope in Scotland and the West Midlands Police in Birmingham.
“They are reeling from the news that they will have to find tens of millions of pounds for security costs from their already stretched budgets.
“As the government prepares to cut huge amounts from public spending, we are told that it will put large amounts of extra resources into this totally unnecessary visit.
“It is time that all parties involved accepted that if we can’t afford old people’s day centres then we can’t afford this papal jamboree.”
Pope Benedict XVI will visit Scotland on September 16.
Following his arrival at Edinburgh airport that morning, the Pope will be driven to Holyrood Palace where he will be welcomed by the Queen.
On leaving the palace at 12.30pm he will be driven in the Popemobile through the centre of Edinburgh.
Following lunch at Cardinal Keith O’Brien’s home, he will travel to Bellahouston to celebrate a public mass on the same site Pope John Paul II said mass in 1982.
Pope John Paul II attracted enormous crowds when he celebrated masses at Bellahouston and Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh 28 years ago.
A St Ninian’s Day Pageant in Edinburgh is also planned, with school children and pipe bands taking part.
All schools named St Ninian’s have been invited to Edinburgh for the parade.
The whole of St Ninian’s PS in Dundee will be going and pupils from St Ninian’s Perth have been invited to join them for the day.
The total bill for the historic four-day state visit taking into account security costs could be as much as £24 million, with the difference being paid by the Catholic Church.
The Bishop of Dunkeld, the Rt Rev Vincent Logan, who will concelebrate mass with the Pope at Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, said, “This is a state visit, so the government is paying for certain elements, such as security.
“Security has to be so much tighter now than when Pope John Paul II visited in 1982 and it is a very costly business.
“It does seem a lot of money but that is the reality of such events these days.
“Any state visit is expensive irrespective of which dignitary is involved.
“The Church is paying for all pastoral elements of the visit and across the UK. Catholics have already raised around £5 million towards these costs.
“Our people always respond generously when asked to contribute to events such as this, and I am sure they will continue to do so.
“The Scottish bishops hope and pray that the visit of Pope Benedict to Scotland will be a memorable occasion, not just for the Catholic community but the whole country.
“I am sure that the legacy of the Pope’s visit will be a lasting one and will more than justify the costs.
“It is now 28 years since Pope John Paul II visited Scotland but we all still have vivid memories of those days he spent with us and we all still talk about the great occasion that it was.”
The cost of the Pope’s visit to Britain is to rise by up to £4 million, it was disclosed on Monday.
Lord Patten of Barnes, the Prime Minister’s special representative for the Papal visit, said the Church would also have to raise more money for the visit.
He told a press conference that the previous £15 million estimate for non-police costs of the visit had underestimated the “complexity and sophistication” of a visit combining both state and pastoral elements.
Lord Patten said the government contribution previously estimated at £8 million would be expected to rise to between £10 million and £12 million.
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user Pacopus.