Anger in crisis-hit Spain at cost of Pope’s visit

THE cost of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to Spain next week is coming under fire from lay groups — and even some priests — at a time when people are suffering from painful budget cuts.

The pope arrives in Madrid on August 18 to attend the final four days of the Roman Catholic Church’s six-day youth festivities, expected to draw more than one million faithful.

Organisers of the World Youth Day celebrations put the price tag of staging the event, before security costs, at €50-60 million. This includes the cost of building a 656ft long stage at the Cuatro Vientos aerodrome — where the pope will deliver the final Mass of his visit on August 21 — and decorating it with a giant metal tree.