Popes visit

[Bigbob]

So the queen invited him

he's german she's german decent

 

personally got no time for religion or the royal family .speaking of the royal family why do they get more dole than the average joe?

 

 

don's crash helmet and runs for cover

 

Same here if its coming out my pocket or taxes i should have a say in how its spent and i certainly wouldn't choice this

[MC]

You do get a say in how it is spent,

 

You get to vote on which party you think will serve you and the country best every 4 or 5 years. 26 million? it is like the small change in my pocket compared to what Broon and his cronies spunked before they were replaced in government.

 

I personally couldn't care less who comes over here, I am about as religious as the piece of toast I had for breakfast this morning and believe what I want to believe in.

Not the cock and bull story that is told in the bible/koran etc.

[poontang]

Not funny, that is grim! ....... public services being cut for all the basics and £26 million on police protection for a man who has alot to answer for in making rash/bad decisions about our country

 

How may coppers is he getting for that money? I imagined a few days with a car and a couple of big coppers..... Is his book tour visiting the Middle East by any chance? That could get seriously expensive to protect him there.

 

Tony Blair has a 3 man protection team supplied by the Metropolitan Police.

 

They are paid there normal salary plus expenses, which last year totalled approx £250,000 and covered all travel and accomodation costs.

 

All ex prime ministers are given similar security provided by the state.

[AVB]

I am a practising Christian (Anglican) but don't believe that church activities such as this should be state funded. As for the Vatican being a State it's no more a State than anything you or I could set up. We do no trade with the Vatican, have no arms treaty with them (what's with the Swiss Guard) and no diplomatic relations. It's a plastic State.

[guest1957]

I am a practising Christian (Anglican) but don't believe that church activities such as this should be state funded. As for the Vatican being a State it's no more a State than anything you or I could set up. We do no trade with the Vatican, have no arms treaty with them (what's with the Swiss Guard) and no diplomatic relations. It's a plastic State.

 

There is a UK ambassador to the Vatican. I think that counts as diplomatic relations...

 

And like it or not, circa. 6 million UK citizens or about 10% of the population are loyal to Rome so the UK does have a political interest.

[Blackbart]

He is head of the worlds biggest peedo ring and should be arrested never mind protected.

[henry d]

I'm with Prof. Dawkins and Prof. Stevie Hawking.

 

What, you once believed in God, then you decided that because of gravity you now don`t

[death from below]

Please don't fall into this 'paedo' thing too easily as the catholic church being the only guilty parties here. It is true that the catholic church and it's leaders are guilty of some pretty horrendous acts (and even worse the subsequent cover ups that appear to have gone on) but wide scale abuse of children still goes on today, committed by so called custodians of child protection. Even more so, the vast majority of abuse is committed by family members or those with some sort of extended access rights to the children made victim of these crimes. There are still people living in our neighbourhoods who commit (and even as bad if not worse, those who turn a blind eye) to such abuse. It is these individuals and groups that require constant attention by the state, not the head of an antiquated religion. As past abuses have been admitted ( only due to years of campaigning by victims of the crimes), I would like to see the catholic church stump up large amounts of it's vast global financial clout to assist in the fight against world wide abuse of minors. That would be a useful start.

 

Hawkings could actually do something useful by finding one of these illusive black holes so that we would have somewhere to put convicted child molesters so they do not pose a continuing threat.

[JRS]

The Queen invited him to come to this country, and as such we are obliged to meet some of the costs involved, including policing.

 

The catholic church are paying between £7m - £10m to cover transport, security and venue costs.

 

Hope this answers your questions.

 

 

i could save on any costs , stay where you are and dont bother comming

one of his side kicks today condemd england as a banana republic and likend it to a third world country , well that tells us where the thoughts of the vatican lay ,

making up a bank balance for a bunch of kiddy fiddlers

[Blackbart]

Please don't fall into this 'paedo' thing too easily as the catholic church being the only guilty parties here. It is true that the catholic church and it's leaders are guilty of some pretty horrendous acts (and even worse the subsequent cover ups that appear to have gone on) but wide scale abuse of children still goes on today, committed by so called custodians of child protection. Even more so, the vast majority of abuse is committed by family members or those with some sort of extended access rights to the children made victim of these crimes. There are still people living in our neighbourhoods who commit (and even as bad if not worse, those who turn a blind eye) to such abuse. It is these individuals and groups that require constant attention by the state, not the head of an antiquated religion. As past abuses have been admitted ( only due to years of campaigning by victims of the crimes), I would like to see the catholic church stump up large amounts of it's vast global financial clout to assist in the fight against world wide abuse of minors. That would be a useful start.

 

Hawkings could actually do something useful by finding one of these illusive black holes so that we would have somewhere to put convicted child molesters so they do not pose a continuing threat.

 

The head of the "antiquated religion" is still covering up for active child molesters that are at large now in communities all over the world.Some past abuses have been admited to but by no means all.The vatacan have stumped up large amounts of it's vast financial clout in payments to the thousands that have been abused and reported it and to thousands more that were going to report it.The current pope has been personally covering up for child molesters since 1981.They are the mafia with funny hat's.

[jasper3]

personaly I am a non believer..I have no problem with people believing in what ever god they want..thats their choice

 

but please ...who the heck planned his visit £25 million..that is a disgrace..... ryan air fly from italy for less than £100 and a room at a premier from £26 a night (pre booked_)

 

im in the wrong job

 

I don't think US taxpayers should pay for this visit

[RC45]

Religion eh? Religion is like various motoring clubs, each of which consider themselves the best or having the best vehicle.

 

Re: the Pope, well that's like the head of the Italian caravan club coming over, presumably to talk to the head of the English chapter of the caravan club.

 

It maybe that he will then travel to Ireland and meet with the head of the Cortina owner's club. They had been rowing for years but in more recent years Mo Mowlem brokered a peace deal between the two clubs.....

 

I'm with Prof. Dawkins and Prof. Stevie Hawking.

[Floating Chamber]

I think he looks nice in that dress.

[ST3V3]

There is a UK ambassador to the Vatican. I think that counts as diplomatic relations...

 

And like it or not, circa. 6 million UK citizens or about 10% of the population are loyal to Rome so the UK does have a political interest.

 

then tell them to foot the bill

[guest1957]

then tell them to foot the bill

 

It was the government that chose to have him here for a state visit, not the Catholic population. Government invite him = government foot the bill.

[Yellow Bear]

It was the government that chose to have him here for a state visit, not the Catholic population. Government invite him = government foot the bill.

 

Knowing the time it takes to set these things up it is obviously more money down the drain from "prudent" Broon and "Teflon" Tony and their cronies

[al4x]

well this has made me chuckle this morning, the popes aid quoted as saying arriving at Heathrow airport was like landing in a "Third World" country.

 

Then to clarify it they then suggested his "Third World" comment referred to the UK's multicultural society. So basically he didn't see a white face at Heathrow can't say I'm surprised but hey great thing to say in Public

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11325699

[canthitathing]

You do get a say in how it is spent,

 

You get to vote on which party you think will serve you and the country best every 4 or 5 years. 26 million? it is like the small change in my pocket compared to what Broon and his cronies spunked before they were replaced in government.

 

I personally couldn't care less who comes over here, I am about as religious as the piece of toast I had for breakfast this morning and believe what I want to believe in.

Not the cock and bull story that is told in the bible/koran etc.

 

 

[Diceman]

What, you once believed in God, then you decided that because of gravity you now don`t

 

or..

 

"What, you once believed in Gravity, then you decided because of god you now don't" ?

[vole]

I do not possess a single religious bone in my body but I do not see anything much wrong in doing something for the remnants of the spiritual side of this place . There is definitely a link between the loss of any sort of idealism or religious thought in the UK and no one giving a **** about anyone else . Communities were stronger and the country was stronger when people lived by a code of conduct other than what is puked up by todays' media .

The Islamic world will always have an edge as long as they are the only ones that have something that unites them . I do not believe in any god but do believe in common causes and I think there are alot more people who like the Pope being here than the BBC makes out .

[Chard]

I am about as religious as the piece of toast I had for breakfast this morning and believe what I want to believe in.

 

 

Praise the Lord and pass the marmalade

[alexr]

I do not possess a single religious bone in my body but I do not see anything much wrong in doing something for the remnants of the spiritual side of this place . There is definitely a link between the loss of any sort of idealism or religious thought in the UK and no one giving a **** about anyone else . Communities were stronger and the country was stronger when people lived by a code of conduct other than what is puked up by todays' media .

The Islamic world will always have an edge as long as they are the only ones that have something that unites them . I do not believe in any god but do believe in common causes and I think there are alot more people who like the Pope being here than the BBC makes out .

I have to agree with this. There is a place for compassion in today’s world. It is not something that one sees in the Murdoch press however. Most Catholics are ordinary people, as are most members of the C of E. A lot of us use the grounding of our faith to help us behave in a compassionate way towards our fellow human beings. When Christianity gets it right it is one of the greatest things you can witness, but when it gets it wrong, and it gets it wrong frequently it destroys any faith we may have in it. It is not necessarily the message that is wrong though, rather the frailty and idiocy of the people with the message. An English Christian should have the best of both worlds, the grounding of a code of ethics that has served society well for 2000 years (when applied properly) combined with a tradition of free thinking radicalism.

[Raja Clavata]

As despicable as the paedo thing is, it really is only the tip of the ice-berg in regards to the atrocities that the catholic church has inflicted on mankind over the centuries.

 

Not got time to go into too much detail now but there's is a story of greed and power which I venture gives an insight into the basis and motivations of the majority, if not all, of formal religions.

 

Examples which immediately spring to mind are what they did to the Templar Knights way back and what they continue to do in the oppression and suffering of their "followers" in under-developed places of the world like Africa.

 

I respect most cultural and religious beliefs but simply abhor just about everything the roman catholic church stands for.

[Diceman]

I do not possess a single religious bone in my body but I do not see anything much wrong in doing something for the remnants of the spiritual side of this place . There is definitely a link between the loss of any sort of idealism or religious thought in the UK and no one giving a **** about anyone else . Communities were stronger and the country was stronger when people lived by a code of conduct other than what is puked up by todays' media .

The Islamic world will always have an edge as long as they are the only ones that have something that unites them . I do not believe in any god but do believe in common causes and I think there are alot more people who like the Pope being here than the BBC makes out .

 

Following your logic, then, as a person who does not posess a single religious bone, you yourself do not give a **** about anyone else?

I don't believe that is the case.

Despite their claims to the contrary, no religion has a monopoly on morality. In fact, most have some decidedly sickening moral values at their very core. Fortunately, most people who follow western religions are selective in their beliefs of the ancient scriptures and have developed a sanitised version of the original, which is what I think you are referring to. But who is the better person? The one (like you, I suspect) who follows an honest and decent path through life, treating others as he would wish to be treated and generally enjoying a harmonious life with no need for organised religion or the promise of a reward in heaven, or the one who does the same but only in the selfish desire to save their soul from the eternal damnation, hellfire and brimstone they have been threatened with if they don't follow the rules?

 

Personally, I don't care which you are as both contribute equally to a happy society. But I cannot accept the argument that as an atheist I am somehow a lesser person.

 

 

Love & peace

 

D

[Raja Clavata]

Following your logic, then, as a person who does not posess a single religious bone, you yourself do not give a **** about anyone else?

I don't believe that is the case.

Despite their claims to the contrary, no religion has a monopoly on morality. In fact, most have some decidedly sickening moral values at their very core. Fortunately, most people who follow western religions are selective in their beliefs of the ancient scriptures and have developed a sanitised version of the original, which is what I think you are referring to. But who is the better person? The one (like you, I suspect) who follows an honest and decent path through life, treating others as he would wish to be treated and generally enjoying a harmonious life with no need for organised religion or the promise of a reward in heaven, or the one who does the same but only in the selfish desire to save their soul from the eternal damnation, hellfire and brimstone they have been threatened with if they don't follow the rules?

 

Personally, I don't care which you are as both contribute equally to a happy society. But I cannot accept the argument that as an atheist I am somehow a lesser person.

 

 

Love & peace

 

D

 

My sentiments exactly. fwiw - I'm certainly not a Christian, in pure terms at least, but I'm no longer a pure Atheist either. Used to spend a lot of time trying to work out exactly what it is my beliefs relate to but figured it mattered not as it makes not an iota of difference to the way I conduct my life. Suggesting religion forms the basis of the moral fabric of mankind is very flawed in my opinion. Values have been lost but I don't believe it's because people have been losing religion.