New Pope invited to visit Britain

It is not clear whether the Pope will find time in his programme to visit

Pope Benedict XVI has been invited to visit Britain by the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales.

In a statement, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said he was keen the Pope be made aware of the delight a visit would bring to British people.

But it was too soon to say what a visit might consist of or whether it would be feasible, the statement added.

His predecessor Pope John Paul II toured Britain in 1982, the first papal visit here since 1531.

But it is understood that is "very unlikely" any visit by Pope Benedict XVI would coincide with the 25th anniversary celebrations of the 1982 visit.

Pope Benedict, formerly Cardinal Ratzinger, was elected last April following the death of Pope John Paul II.

Cardinal Keith O'Brien, president of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, said that, in the event of the invitation being accepted, the pontiff would be urged to "spend some time in Scotland where he would be welcomed most warmly".