Pope Benedict XVI has confirmed the dates of a visit to the UK this year. The pontiff will visit the country from 16 to 19 September, in what will be the first papal UK visit since that of John Paul II in 1982. The Pope will start his trip in Edinburgh, where he will be received by the Queen at Holyrood House. He will beatify 19th Century theologian Cardinal John Henry Newman, visit the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace and pray at Westminster Abbey.
The Pope will travel to Coventry airport for the beatification of Cardinal Newman, a convert to Catholicism. This will bring the cleric a step closer to becoming the first non-martyred English saint since the Reformation. His itinerary will also include a giant open-air Mass in Glasgow's Bellahouston Park, a prayer vigil in London and an event focusing on education. He will give a "major speech" at Westminster Hall in the Houses of Parliament, it was announced at a news conference at the Foreign Office. The theme of the visit will be relations between the Christian Churches and the major faiths.
