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Hopes of Pope visit to York look to be dashed

9:20am Friday 12th March 2010 in


HOPES that the Pope might come to York seem to have been dashed.

City leaders had been optimistic that Pope Benedict XVI may come to the city, as part of a planned pilgrimage visit to Britain later this year.

But City of York Council leader Andrew Waller said yesterday that the visit was now being planned as a state visit, rather than a pilgrimage.

That means the Pope will not be addressing large crowds as his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, did in 1982, when hundreds of thousands of people gathered on Knavesmire in York to see him.

Comments(30)

rothko says...
9:45am Fri 12 Mar 10

Good, I don't want my taxes being spent policing his visit.

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pedalling paul says...
9:55am Fri 12 Mar 10

Your national taxes will probably be spent policing his visit, regardless of where he goes.

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LittleTed says...
10:27am Fri 12 Mar 10

rothko wrote:
Good, I don't want my taxes being spent policing his visit.
I hope your taxes are spent on holidays for young criminals. Oh, and new cycle lanes around York.

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jez b says...
10:33am Fri 12 Mar 10

He took one look at York Council and almost cancelled the entire trip.

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Boadicea says...
10:52am Fri 12 Mar 10

They will find something equally wasteful to spend your taxes.

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jez b says...
11:58am Fri 12 Mar 10

Also the previous Pope was only 60ish when he came to the UK, the current one is mid 80s so won't be as fit.

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moleculeman says...
12:09pm Fri 12 Mar 10

Yeah, because all of us who don't like the catholic church and don't see why we should pay for the "privilege" of it's morally dubious leader being given a state-funded grand tour are really just shallow, stereotypical liberal strawmen.

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moleculeman says...
12:10pm Fri 12 Mar 10

For some reason, it hasn't included the quote from Little Ted. That's who my comment above refers to.
ie.
<quote>I hope your taxes are spent on holidays for young criminals. Oh, and new cycle lanes around York.</quote>

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moleculeman says...
12:11pm Fri 12 Mar 10

Hang on
I hope your taxes are spent on holidays for young criminals. Oh, and new cycle lanes around York.

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Stevie D says...
12:36pm Fri 12 Mar 10

I'm glad I'm not the only one pleased by this piece of news.
.
I don't want to see the Pope in York for much the same reasons I don't want to see Nick Griffin in York, but with the added point that while it might be good to throw eggs at the leader of the BNP, throwing them at a senile octogenarian wouldn't be such good sport.

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moleculeman says...
12:47pm Fri 12 Mar 10

And I can't believe I used a greengrocer's apostrophe!
If Nick Griffin was to visit York, would we be expected to pay for it? I'mnot sure how funding for political campaigning works. However, that's the price of democracy, and it would still be cheaper by a couple of orders of magnitude than a papal visit.

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Silver says...
12:57pm Fri 12 Mar 10

Stevie D wrote:
I'm glad I'm not the only one pleased by this piece of news. . I don't want to see the Pope in York for much the same reasons I don't want to see Nick Griffin in York, but with the added point that while it might be good to throw eggs at the leader of the BNP, throwing them at a senile octogenarian wouldn't be such good sport.
Plus you'd get your face on the telly if you throw an egg at Nick Griffin but everyone down at the pub would say why didn't you throw a brick?
Hehe security word is well-hard like the synchronicity

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redr says...
1:21pm Fri 12 Mar 10

I don’t really understand the financial objections, when the last Pope visited quarter of a million people came to York. I would have thought that would have generated a huge boost to the local economy. The visit also put York on T.V. sets around the world so I can’t believe it resulted in a net loss for the city.

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Garrowby Turnoff says...
1:24pm Fri 12 Mar 10

redr wrote:
I don’t really understand the financial objections, when the last Pope visited quarter of a million people came to York. I would have thought that would have generated a huge boost to the local economy. The visit also put York on T.V. sets around the world so I can’t believe it resulted in a net loss for the city.
Agreed. Bring him on...

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moleculeman says...
3:05pm Fri 12 Mar 10

The taxpayers forking out £20million for this fossil's visit is worth that?
Let him visit as a private individual, fine. Or let the church - which, let's face it - isn't short of a bob or two pay for it. Also fine.
I just don't see why we should pay for it.

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consumer says...
3:11pm Fri 12 Mar 10

Good. No fascist pope here, thank you. Not welcome.

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consumer says...
3:11pm Fri 12 Mar 10

Good. No fascist pope here, thank you. Not welcome.

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pedalling paul says...
5:03pm Fri 12 Mar 10

Tch..tch..that is the kind of intolerance that has fuelled wars in the past.

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Pleb says...
5:15pm Fri 12 Mar 10

This church and its Pope deserve no support from anyone. People who are taught roman catholicism from a young age are usually trapped in loyalty to this church for life. Unfortunately it seems to have a particular attraction to paedophiles to become priests and use their powerful positions to rape children. Even worse, roman catholic bishops have covered up the crimes of the priests by transferring them to other parishes instead of having them jailed.
How can anyone continue to support this church?

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moleculeman says...
5:21pm Fri 12 Mar 10

And of course the Catholic church are exceedingly tolerant.

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redr says...
6:01pm Fri 12 Mar 10

I totally agree that the Catholic church absolutely let children down in the way they failed to deal with paedophile priests. It was an outrage that the church and more importantly their victims will have to live with. I also think that their teachings on both contraception and homosexuality are offensive. I would like to point out however that the vast majority of catholic priests are not paedophiles and it would be totally unfair to suggest they were.

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nowthen says...
6:12pm Fri 12 Mar 10

pedalling paul wrote:
Tch..tch..that is the kind of intolerance that has fuelled wars in the past.
The roman catholic religion believes that it is the only true religion on the planet and that all other religions ( who also believe that their religions are the only true ones )are false ; therefore all religions are intolerant. Why is taxpayers money being used to fund a visit from this intolerant organization . Who's next
Ayatollah Khamenei ?

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nowthen says...
6:26pm Fri 12 Mar 10

pedalling paul wrote:
Tch..tch..that is the kind of intolerance that has fuelled wars in the past.
Oh and by the way Mr Hepworth you're a fine one to preachify about intolerance ; all we ever hear from you is " two wheels good four wheels bad "

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nowthen says...
7:47pm Fri 12 Mar 10

And it goes on see ; http://news.bbc.co.u
k/1/hi/world/europe/
8565294.stm

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petethefeet says...
9:47pm Fri 12 Mar 10

Judging by the petty squabbling on this site, I doubt if he'd want to come. Do any of you listen, and I mean 'listen attentively' to what he has to say? 'No', I thought not

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King Edward says...
9:48pm Fri 12 Mar 10

You'd think he'd visit the godless heathens of this Sod'em & Gotomorrow like place, if only to exorcise the demons inhabiting our councllors. Maybe not, he was a Hitler youth so he's seen worse!

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King Edward says...
9:50pm Fri 12 Mar 10

...on reflection, perhaps I'd like to see an Ayatollah on the Knavesmire next, there should be no discrimination on religious grounds, is Abu Hamsah still in the UK?

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moneyforwhat says...
1:52pm Sat 13 Mar 10

jez b wrote:
He took one look at York Council and almost cancelled the entire trip.
fabulous. I thought he may have heard about the congestion charge, OR that he who should not be named had organised a bike for him

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Fellowtraveller1 says...
11:02am Sun 14 Mar 10

petethefeet wrote:
Judging by the petty squabbling on this site, I doubt if he'd want to come. Do any of you listen, and I mean 'listen attentively' to what he has to say? 'No', I thought not
Pete - this man routinely practices and promotes ritualised cannibalism(blood and body of Christ etc.) - he is part of an organisation that has protected child abusers (one of the main protectors was promoted by the previous Pope). Do you really think we should be listening to anything he says - or even paying through the nose for his visit?

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myselby says...
3:50pm Mon 15 Mar 10

No Pope but Tony Benn, not a bad deal

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