Pope's state visit to the UK thread

[DC]

Under the curent international norms the pope is as head of state and thus on a par with the likes of Albert II, Marcus Stephen and Hans-Adam II. Not recognising this makes about as much sense as not recognising that Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of Tuvalu.

only for the next 50 years or so.

 

[Soapy Sam]

Dim fool that I am, I had supposed the tickets were free.
People would actually pay to see this silly old fool?
Amazing.
Does he do stand-up or something?

 

[DC]

who gets the money from those tickets?

 

[JihadJane]

"Can't Darat just close the thread?"


Why?

To stop the Pope from visiting it.

 

[richardm]

Oh my... not looking good.


Thousand of tickets unsold

The capacity has been reduced to 80,000 after a slow take-up of tickets.

Well, I suppose that's one way to guarantee a sell-out.

 

[LukeB]

who gets the money from those tickets?

Trips to Thailand for his employees.

 

[geni]

Oh my... not looking good.


Thousand of tickets unsold

Eh most likely that the various hoops that have to be jumped through in the name of security means that a lot of people have decided that it isn't worth the effort.

 

[Darat]

loll the taxpayers have to pay ?

...snip...

Because he is meant to be visiting as a head of state who also happens to be a religious leader. Granted the RCC do seem to have forgotten the first part....

 

[Darat]

Eh most likely that the various hoops that have to be jumped through in the name of security means that a lot of people have decided that it isn't worth the effort.

That doesn't counter JamesMG statement.

 

[Jim_MDP]

To stop the Pope from visiting it.

Who cares... there are no kids here.

 

[Bythemark]

At least they're paying for half . But they're making 1.4 mil pounds for the one event.

 

[Worm]

Various bods (Stephen Fry, Terry Pratchett, Richard Dawkins...) have signed a letter in the Guardian opposing the visit: Linky and BBC comment

 

[Agatha]

Perhaps Darat could close UK airspace and stop the Pope?

 

[richardm]

Because he is meant to be visiting as a head of state who also happens to be a religious leader. Granted the RCC do seem to have forgotten the first part....

Apparently when Pope John Paul II came here, he treated it as a pastoral visit which meant that he wasn't visiting as head of state. I'm not sure what implications that had with respect to who stumped up for what.

 

[Agatha]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11317441

One of the Pope's senior advisers has pulled out of the papal visit to Britain, after reportedly saying the UK is a "Third World country" marked by "a new and aggressive atheism".

Such a pity the Pope didn't also pull out of the planned visit.

 

[ohp]

Apparently he said "Arriving at Heathrow is like landing in a Third World country"

I haven't been to Heathrow for a while, but I can only assume the arrivals lounge has poor availability of contraception, and an AIDS problem.

 

[KDLarsen]

Apparently he said "Arriving at Heathrow is like landing in a Third World country"

I haven't been to Heathrow for a while, but I can only assume the arrivals lounge has poor availability of contraception, and an AIDS problem.

That would be an improvement then.

 

[ohp]

That would be an improvement then.

Well, it's the kind of Improvement the catholic church has brought to third world countries all over the world.

 

[Debaser]

Apparently he said "Arriving at Heathrow is like landing in a Third World country"

I haven't been to Heathrow for a while, but I can only assume the arrivals lounge has poor availability of contraception, and an AIDS problem.

No, no...you misunderstand;

The Vatican said the 77-year-old cardinal had not intended "any kind of slight", and was referring to the UK's multicultural society.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11317441

There, that's alright then

 

[Skeptic]

Just a minor point, but the poster said obama and other heads of state.
Point being he never said or hinted the pope was head of a state.

He is. The Vatican is a state.