Papal Visit North Is 'Speculation'

An influential Catholic journalist has cast doubts over a possible papal visit to the North next year.

Yesterday, reports suggested Pope Benedict XVI was preparing to make his first official UK trip.

The BBC said there was "strong indications" Northern Ireland would be included in the visit.

However, the Irish Catholic Church has branded the news "pure speculation".

Meanwhile, the Irish Catholic newspaper's Deputy Editor said a Northern Ireland papal visit would be organised by Dublin, rather than London church authorities.

Michael Kelly said the church views Ireland on an 32-county, island basis, and dismissed a possible Northern Ireland stop-off, as part of a wider UK visit, as "unlikely".

"The papal nuncio in Dublin takes responsibility for Northern Ireland rather than the papal nuncio in London," he told the BBC.

"The majority of Catholics in Northern Ireland would have nationalist sensibilities.

"The Vatican are certainly not going to do anything which would the offend those sensibilities, for example tagging on a visit to Northern Ireland which would exclude the Republic would seem to me to be extremely insensitive."

The last UK papal visit was in 1982, with the 30th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland being marked this year.

(PR/BMcC)