If, as expected, Benedict XVI begins the first papal visit to Britain in almost 30 years in Edinburgh, he will bestow an honour upon Scotland’s Catholics and create a nightmare for officials involved in planning the event.

The timing of the visit … coincides with the Queen’s annual holiday at Balmoral. As the monarch is the host of the state visit, protocol dictates that she should receive the Pope, who will be in Britain in his capacity as a sovereign, before he carries out any engagements. The most likely arrangement is that the Queen will travel to Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, to meet the Pope, where they will have lunch before he carries out engagements in the afternoon.

“Being a head of state, the Pope has to meet the Queen, who will be at Balmoral,” one senior Catholic source said. “The understanding is that he will come to Holyrood.”

The source said that under these plans the amount of time that the Pope had in Scotland for other engagements would be limited. “He would arrive in Edinburgh mid-morning and would not be able to see the Queen until lunchtime. He is 84 and needs a break. He wouldn’t be able to do anything until late afternoon, so he wouldn’t have much time.”

His tight schedule will cause a headache for Church officials, who have as yet been unable to organise any events while details remain unconfirmed. After meeting the Queen the Pope is expected to go to Glasgow, where he will give an address, possibly at Glasgow Green.

A meeting in Edinburgh with the Queen will also avoid awkward questions about the Pope’s relationship with the Church of England.

• Full story at The Times.

• Filed under Papal Visit, Roman Catholic Church, Royal Family, Scottish Christian News Monitor.