300px| travelling (USA, 2008) The Roman Catholic Pontiff is visiting the  for the first time since 1982, when his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, was in Britain. The Catholic Church has been preparing an official visit of Benedict XVI for some time, with the visit starting tomorrow. The initial plans were made last September; the visit was only announced on March 16, 2010 when it was officially confirmed by the Vatican. The tour extends through Sunday, and includes stops in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, and Birmingham, at the latter of which the Pope is going to celebrate the Beatification of . On April 11th Richard Dawkins, with  's support, interviewed by , said that they were trying to initiate criminal proceedings against the Pope – on the occasion of his visit to UK – over his alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. David Miliband, Foreign Secretary until May 11th, 2010 A further incident happened at the end of April 2010 when a British  internal memo (attached to an official document which listed brainstormed ideas for the Pope's tour) suggested many sarcastic ideas for Benedict XVI. This included launching a condom brand marked "Benedict", or, during his visit in UK, inaugurating an abortion clinic, blessing a homosexual couple, or ordaining women as priests. The Ministry immediately apologized and explained that the document was only brainstorming that didn't represent the political positions of the Foreign Office. The Vatican answered via Benedict XVI's spokesman the Rev. who said "[a]s far as the Vatican is concerned, the case is closed. There never was the slightest doubt about the trip."
300px| travelling (USA, 2008) The Roman Catholic Pontiff is visiting the United Kingdom for the first time since 1982, when his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, was in Britain. The Catholic Church has been preparing an official visit of Benedict XVI for some time, with the visit starting tomorrow. The initial plans were made last September; the visit was only announced on March 16, 2010 when it was officially confirmed by the Vatican. The tour extends through Sunday, and includes stops in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, and Birmingham, at the latter of which the Pope is going to celebrate the Beatification of . On April 11th Richard Dawkins, with Christopher Hitchens 's support, interviewed by , said that they were trying to initiate criminal proceedings against the Pope – on the occasion of his visit to UK – over his alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. David Miliband, Foreign Secretary until May 11th, 2010 A further incident happened at the end of April 2010 when a British Foreign Office internal memo (attached to an official document which listed brainstormed ideas for the Pope's tour) suggested many sarcastic ideas for Benedict XVI. This included launching a condom brand marked "Benedict", or, during his visit in UK, inaugurating an abortion clinic, blessing a homosexual couple, or ordaining women as priests. The Ministry immediately apologized and explained that the document was only brainstorming that didn't represent the political positions of the Foreign Office. The Vatican answered via Benedict XVI's spokesman the Rev. who said "[a]s far as the Vatican is concerned, the case is closed. There never was the slightest doubt about the trip."
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United Kingdom
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Christopher Hitchens
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Foreign Office