Pope Benedict XVI to Visit England, Scotland in September

Buckingham Palace has announced the state visit by Pope Benedict XVI to England and Scotland in September. The pope will preside over an ecumenical service at Westminster Abbey and attend to his diplomatic duties as head of Vatican

Pope Benedict XVI is set to visit England and Scotland in September, Buckingham Palace announced Tuesday. The Pope's schedule includes among others a mass at the Glasgow's Bellahauston Park in Scotland. In England, Benedict will preside at the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman in Coventry; in London he will give a speech to leaders of civil society, join leaders of other churches for an ecumenical service at Westminster Abbey and call on Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams at Lambeth Palace. He will not visit Wales. The Pope's scheduled visit comes at a time when the Catholic Church hierarchy in England and Ireland are under investigation for abuses committed by Catholic priests on children under their care. Late last year, the Catholic church and the government of Ireland apologized to the victims of sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests mostly on children under their care for over three decades. The apology by the church and the government of Ireland came after a report was made public on the widespread abuse by some Catholic priests of children under their care. Following a three-year investigation in the Dublin Archdiocese, the country's largest, the report concluded that four archbishops routinely protected abusers and failed to inform police of the allegations. The 750-page landmark report by judge Yvonne Murphy is damning in its criticism of failures to protect vulnerable children, the report added. The Pope is expected to address the widespread abuse by some misguided Catholic priests in a number of Catholic institutions in Ireland and England.