Pope set to feel the chill wind of Cool Britannia

THE Falklands war was in full swing and John Paul II was in London as the first pope ever to set foot on English soil.

Even as he snubbed Margaret Thatcher and prayed for peace in implicit criticism of Britain – whose troops were battling Catholic Argentines – the pontiff received a rapturous welcome and was described in glowing terms by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

His successor, Pope Benedict XVI, can expect a far cooler – if not at times downright hostile – reception in his state visit this week.