Pope ambassador to calm paedophile row

The Papal Nuncio represents the Vatican in Britain

The Pope's special representative in Britain has arrived in Cardiff following controversy of the handling of the cases of two paedophile priests.

Papal Nuncio Archbishop Pablo Puente is due to hold a meeting at All Hallow's Church in Miskin near Cardiff, to which around 70 clergy are expected to attend.

Archbishop John Ward has been criticised

The arrival is in the wake of the replacement of the Archbishop of Cardiff, John Aloysius Ward, who has been criticised over of his handling of the cases of two paedophile priests from the diocese, who have since been jailed.

The most senior Catholic cleric in Wales for the last 17 years, he is accused of presiding over a church which allowed two paedophiles to slip through the net.

A joint investigation by BBC Wales and the current affairs programme Panorama revealed that the archbishop ignored serious warnings about Father John Lloyd - jailed in 1998 - and father Joe Jordan jailed in October.

'Solidarity'

Archbishop Ward has insisted throughout that he has done nothing wrong.

The Rev Kieran Conry, of the Catholic Media Office, said: "The visit was initiated by the Papal Nuncio himself.

"We all know that the Archdiocese has been through hard times recently - especially in the light of two serious trials - and the Papal Nuncio wants to express his solidarity to the clergy and listen to them."

"He will address their concerns and anxieties in a move aimed at creating stability in the diocese."

Last month, the Bishop of Wrexham Edwin Regan was appointed as an Apostolic Administrator to run the Archdiocese.

He replaced Archbishop Ward, who is recovering from deep vein thrombosis.