In not wanting The Pope to visit uk at the taxpayers expense?

[Alouiseg]

Apparently The visit wil cost 12m pounds. That's 12 million pounds to be pinched from other budgets. For a man who has been responsible for covering up crimes against children.

My MP will receive an email today and I will make my abhorrence very clear.

Stubbornhubby if you throw an egg at him I hope with all my heart you get arrested. What example is that? Don't like something.... oh well I'll resort to violence.

He's an old man, have some self respect

You are right, I won't be throwing any eggs.

I will restrict myself to booing etc.

Cost is £12m NOT INCLUDING SECURITY
Catholic church are paying £7m
uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6642M420100705

Some people think the security costs could be on a par with the G8 Summit that apparently cost £70m to police.
www.protest-the-pope.org.uk/2010/06/security-costs-for-pope%e2%80%99s-visit-could-run-into-hundreds- of-millions/
So we could be paying tens of millions in sctoland, london and the midlands?

"The queen has asked for him to visit, she has asked for him to come"

Isn't this the same Queen who reads out whatever her government asks her to, on the day of the so-called Queen's speech?

Would she really ask someone she knew would annoy Her Government?

I take it back about the egg, I will boo, but i will be taking my children with me to protest (if they want to) just as we protested the Chinese Govt when they paraded their Olympic

Why the pope particularly? So far as I am aware the Pope is the only abuse apologist planning to parade up and down Whitehall. the Chinese were the last ones, I protested them, the Pope is the next one.

If the government of Congo have a parade up and down Whitehall, I'll go protes them as well.

YANBU. And the 12m may be an underestimate. OK, so this may well be somewhat biased, but its based on prior experience of other countries. And if anything security costs for the Pope will be higher than ever - for reasons which are entirely the responsibility of the Catholic church and not the British taxpayer.

YANBU - video conference in future please!

Or let the Catholics have a whip round to pay, or get the Pope himself to pay, or his employer. 'Head of State' my arse - the Vatican is just a made up 'state' hardly any bigger that St Peters, probably made up so the Pope doesn't have to pay for international travel/security etc.

YANBU

Regardless of what the Pope has or has not done re: abuse, the fact is we can't afford to spend £12m on ANY state visit at the moment.

Most of the cost is due to the public parades. Those could quite easily be cut.

Why not have a man that covers up systematic paedophilia instead of funding hospitals???

Altinkum, I'm really not convinced that "she is the one ultimately who says yes"

She utters the words (or allows her mouth to utter them), but in practice, she has not said "no" for so long that probably, she simply psychologically can't.

So she is all passive-aggressive with the lemon-face when she is bored instead.

Shall we start a MN thread for the Queen, seeking advice on how to say no?

it is

• 12m from govt
• 7m from church
• PLUS cost of security (not disclsoed 100m?)

uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6642M420100705

Well, let's help Her, then, shall we?

here

I'm catholic.

I don't think he should come and I don't think tax payers should fund it.

I won't be going to see him, I am ashamed of the catholic church, it's recent history and so much of it's doctrine, and the Pope represents all this.

People should go and boo.

catholics should go and boo.

the church needs to change and catholics need to find thier voice and speak out, intsead of being all passive and diagreeing living thier lives against the doctrine in most cases in the western world, but attending mass cheering the pope and not saying this out loud.

How about the Gvt gives me back my 62p that I'm paying towards the totally unelected Monarch that I feel we have no need for, at all, in this day and age and her family so that they never need have a job and can live rent free in St James's Palace all their lives and I will donate it towards the Pope coming?

Oh, Altinkum, I'm sorry to catch you at a bad time. Good luck.

YANBU. I am a catholic, have never been to Rome and have never seen a visiting Pontiff (when he has deigned to visit). We, as catholics, have been asked to help fund this visit - so it is not strictly the church who will fund this - they have asked for "help" during the Masses - even going so far as to print up envelopes.

FWIW I am appalled at being asked to fund/help fund this visit, coming at a time when we are being asked to accept major cuts in various walks of life.

I have faith, am a practising catholic and acknowledge the Pope as Head of our Church ... HOWEVER, I am also aware of this nation's current predicament --- we cannot afford to refurbish schools but we can afford to help fund, to the tuns of millions, a visit from a head of state/head of faith??? TBH, I don't know why this surprises me - it's just another example of the tax-payer getting shafted!

If the Queen wants him here let her pay. If the Government want him here let them have a whip-round and put their own hands in the deep pockets and if the Catholic Church want him here let the bloody Vatican pay - it is one of the wealthiest 'bodies' in the world, they can afford it.

Am disgusted ... urgh.

Am in TOTAL agreement with BridesheadRegardless. And, they have put it far, far better than me!

Strictly Tory do you feel that we should fund religious leaders of all world faiths to come to this country so that their followers can see them, and that all faiths should be given the chice of opting out of funding the royals?

Presumably you're British and catgholic? It's not one or the other is it?

Also you don't have to be catholic to not want to fund the royals and if that's the case support a politicla party or group that wants a republic.

I tell you one thing: this visit is misconceieved. It will be like the Chinese Olympic torch all over again. Look at how much energy is stirred up just here on MN.

I don't understand why the catholic church isn't lying low at the moment.