News Desk

The first visit by Pope Benedict XVI to London is being scaled down due to concerns over spiralling security costs, with estimates putting the visit of the head of the Roman Catholic church at£14 million, twice the original estimate.

The Pope's vist is scheduled for 16 September, originally agreed by Gordon Brown the former Labour Prime Minister, with sources close to the former Prime Minister hinting it was an attempt to win over the "Catholic vote" in Scotland.

The British Government will be paying for state events such as the reception of Her Majesty the Queen, with the main costs focusing on the security of the Pope, with the recent incident in Cumbria adding to the problems of the police to secure the Pope against a lone gunman.  Pop for the Pope to that of the Us President.

There is expected to be protests against the Pope by pro-homosexual rights groups, with others calling for the Pope to be arrested including Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, said: “This is a man whose first instinct when his priests are caught with their pants down is to cover up the scandal and damn the young victims to silence.”

Christopher Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great, said: “This man is not above or outside the law. The institutionalised concealment of child rape is a crime under any law and demands not private ceremonies of repentance or church-funded payoffs, but justice and punishment."

The public prayer vigil that was to be held in Hyde Park according to the Daily Telegraph "was due to take place in Hyde Park but the Royal Parks said not such event has been booked".

Catholics around the UK have been asked to contribute in a "special collection" on May 23, but was hampered when according to the Daily Telegraph "Gift Aid envelopes failed to arrive at parishes in time and collection had to be carried over".

Papal Visit Co-ordinator, Mgr Andrew Summersgill said online:
"So I'm sorry for the difficulties that that has no doubt caused to people. But I would also like to say that the indications are that people have been generous, and in difficult times, that’s really quite heartening. Certainly in the parish that I go to at the weekends everyone was responding warmly and well, both to the collection but also to the prayer cards and indeed for the opportunity to be able to pray for the Pope and to look forward to the Visit."