Pope’s visit will not be affected by ‘vile’ memo

THE Pope’s visit to Britain will not be affected by the disclosure of a Foreign Office document mocking the Catholic Church, the Vatican said.

Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi has noted a Foreign Office apology and said the paper will have “absolutely” no impact on the Pope’s visit in September, an official confirmed.

The document, leaked to the Sunday Telegraph, suggested Britain should mark the visit by asking the Pope to open an abortion clinic, bless a gay marriage and launch a range of Benedict-branded condoms.

It also suggested Benedict XVI could show his hard line on the sensitive issue of child abuse allegations against Catholic priests by “sacking dodgy bishops” and launching a helpline for abused children.

The Foreign Office issued an apology for the memo, describing the suggestions as “ill-judged, naive and disrespectful”.

Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy, who is leading the preparations for the visit, also described the suggestions as “absolutely despicable” and “vile”.

The ideas were included in a paper titled, The ideal visit would see..., which was distributed to officials in Whitehall and Downing Street preparing for the historic visit.

A cover note said the paper stemmed from a brainstorming session and accepted some of the ideas were “far-fetched”.

Many of the proposals appeared to mock the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church on issues such as abortion, homosexuality and contraception and the difficulties it is experiencing over cases of child abuse.

The Foreign Office apologised for what it described as a “foolish” document and said the individual responsible had been transferred to other duties.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband was said to have been “appalled” to hear of the paper, and Britain’s ambassador to the Vatican, Francis Campbell, met senior officials of the Holy See to express the government’s regret.

The Foreign Office confirmed the memo was drawn up by a small group of three or four junior staff in a team working on the papal visit. The document was withdrawn after it was circulated to more senior staff. The memo also suggested that the Pope could apologise for the Spanish Armada or sing a song with the Queen for charity.