Pope Benedict hopes to address a “gap” in public perception of the Catholic Church after recent child sex scandals when he visits the country this year, aides said in plans for the trip unveiled Tuesday.
Archbishop Vincent added that the pope’s September 16-19 visit could give a crucial spiritual boost to Britain as it struggles to recover from the global financial downturn.
“Catholicism can easily become defined in the public mind in the light of one or two recent controversies,” said a pamphlet setting out the purpose of the three-day papal visit, the first to Britain in nearly 30 years.
“This is the gap in public knowledge that this pamphlet aims to address,” it added, without referring specifically to the sex abuse scandals rocking the Roman Catholic Church, notably in Britain’s neighbour Ireland.
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Pope hopes to bridge image 'gap' when in the UK
Pope Benedict hopes to address a “gap” in public perception of the Catholic Church after recent child sex scandals when he visits the country this year, aides said in plans for the trip unveiled Tuesday.
Archbishop Vincent added that the pope’s September 16-19 visit could give a crucial spiritual boost to Britain as it struggles to recover from the global financial downturn.
“Catholicism can easily become defined in the public mind in the light of one or two recent controversies,” said a pamphlet setting out the purpose of the three-day papal visit, the first to Britain in nearly 30 years.
“This is the gap in public knowledge that this pamphlet aims to address,” it added, without referring specifically to the sex abuse scandals rocking the Roman Catholic Church, notably in Britain’s neighbour Ireland.
Read it all.