Pope 'Could Cancel UK Visit' Over 'Offensive' Foreign Office Memo
THE TELEGRAPH: The Pope could cancel his planned visit to Britain because of a “hugely offensive” Foreign Office memo mocking his stance on abortion and birth control, sources in the Vatican said.

Senior Papal aides suggested the Foreign Office had not taken strong enough disciplinary action against those responsible for the document, which suggested the Pope should open an abortion clinic, bless a homosexual marriage and launch his own range of condoms while he is here.

No-one has lost their job over the memo, which was sent to Downing Street and at least three Whitehall departments, and the civil servant who authorised it has simply been moved to other duties.

One highly-placed source in the Vatican said: “This could have very severe repercussions and is embarrassing for the British government - one has to question whether the action taken is enough.

“It is disgusting. Britain’s ambassador to the Holy See has been in to see the Secretary of State and explain what happened and this will all be relayed to the Pope.

“It’s even possible the trip could be cancelled as this matter is hugely offensive.”

Cardinal Renato Martino, the former head of the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said: “The British government has invited the Pope as its guest and he should be treated with respect.

“To make a mockery of his beliefs and the beliefs of millions of Catholics not just in Britain but across the world is very offensive indeed.” >>> Gordon Rayner and Nick Pisa in Rome | Sunday, April 25, 2010

Such disgusting behaviour from the Foreign Office. What kind of low-life do they employ there these days? This is no way to behave; and it is certainy no way to treat the Pope. Would these same people have had the courage to write these things about the visit of a Muslim cleric? I think we all know the answer to that question! Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting! And if the Pope cancels his visit, no one should be at all surprised. – © Mark

Related:

THE TELEGRAPH: Ministers Apologise for Insult to Pope >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, April 24, 2010

Ministers Apologise for Insult to Pope
THE TELEGRAPH: The Government has apologised to the Pope over official documents that mocked his forthcoming visit to Britain by suggesting he should bless a gay marriage and even launch Papal-branded condoms.

The astonishing proposals, leaked to The Sunday Telegraph, were contained in secret papers drawn up earlier this month by civil servants following a 'brainstorm’.

The ideas, included in a memo headed 'The ideal visit would see ...’, ridiculed the Catholic Church’s teachings including its opposition to abortion, homosexual behaviour and contraception. Many appeared to be deliberately provocative rather than a serious attempt to plan an itinerary for the September visit.

The proposals, which were then circulated among key officials in Downing Street and Whitehall, also include the Pope opening an abortion ward; spending the night in a council flat in Bradford; doing forward rolls with children to promote healthy living; and even performing a duet with the Queen. >>> Jonathan Wynne-Jones, Religious Affairs Correspondent | Saturday, April 24, 2010

THE SUNDAY TIMES: Foreign Office sorry for insult to Pope: THE government apologised to the Pope last night after an official paper suggested he should be asked to open an abortion clinic, bless a gay marriage and launch a Benedict-branded condom range on his state visit in September. >>> Kate Youde | Sunday, April 25, 2010

Banned Brit Hurls Insults at Canada's Immigration Minister
CANADA.COM: OTTAWA - George Galloway, the British MP who's been declared persona non grata by the Harper government, once demanded that Britain's Labour government block a visit by far-right French politician Jean-Marie Le Pen.

Galloway, an outspoken opponent of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, was informed Friday he won't be allowed into Canada for a scheduled four-city speaking tour because he led a convoy that delivered humanitarian aid to Hamas officials in Gaza earlier this month.

Canada considers Hamas a terrorist organization. In a letter, Robert Orr, the immigration program manager at the Canadian High Commission, told Galloway his "material support'' for Hamas makes him inadmissible under Section 34 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Galloway has vowed to fight the ban in court. “That's the way the right-wing, last-ditch dead-enders of Bushism in Ottawa conduct their business,'' he sneered in an article he wrote in Saturday's Guardian.

In it, he described Jason Kenney, the minister of citizenship and immigration, as a “gay-baiter, gung-ho armchair warrior, with an odd habit of exceeding his immigration brief.''

Kenney could overturn the ban imposed by border security officials, but has stated he has no intention of doing so.

Being banned by Kenney, wrote Galloway, “is like being told to sit up straight by the hunchback of Notre Dame or being lectured on due diligence by Conrad Black.''

But in 2004, the shoe was on the other foot. Then it was Galloway who argued, unsuccessfully, that David Plunkett, then Britain's home secretary, should prevent Le Pen, the aging leader of the French National Front party, from entering Britain.

“Le Pen should not be allowed to set foot on to British soil at any time,'' he said then. "If the Home Secretary allows into this country someone who denies the Holocaust and who is on record as hating all Muslims, he will be siding with the neo-Nazi far-right against multicultural Britain.''

As well, there's no sign Galloway objected last month when Britain denied entry to Geert Wilders, a Dutch member of Parliament who has compared the Koran to Mein Kampf and blamed Islamic texts for inciting the 9/11 terrorist attacks. >>> By Don Butler, Canwest News Service | Sunday, March 22, 2009

The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Paperback/Broché – Canada) >>>
The Dawning of a New Dark Age (Hardback/Relié – Canada) >>>