THE Pope's visit to Britain was plunged into controversy last night after a top aide branded the UK a "Third World" country.

Pope Benedict's arrival today was overshadowed by 77-year-old Cardinal Walter Kasper's tirade.

The German - a key figure in the Pope's inner circle - declared: "When you land at Heathrow, you think you are in a Third World land."

Last night the furore threatened to turn into a race row when the Cardinal's secretary Monsignor Oliver Lahl said the Third World outburst referred to the "many different people" who live in Britain.

Cardinal Kasper also claimed a "new and aggressive atheism" was sweeping the UK - and raised the row over a British Airways worker wearing a crucifix.

The cardinal said: "If you wear a cross you are discriminated against. We want to publicly show our faith."

A spokesman for the Catholic Church in England and Wales said Cardinal Kasper's comments "did not represent the views of the Vatican nor those of bishops in this country".

The cardinal pulled out of the four-day visit late yesterday. Insiders claimed he was struggling with gout.

In a statement, the Vatican said the cardinal had wanted to convey that Heathrow was a "melting pot of modern humanity with its diversity and problems" and had "no negative intention".

The Pope's visit has already been tainted by fury over child abuse in the Catholic Church. Thousands of tickets for the Pope's open air masses have gone unsold.

<LI sizset="62" sizcache="5">FOURTEEN of the 22 Catholic priests convicted of sexually abusing children in England and Wales since 2001 are still listed as members of the clergy, it was reported last night.

source - http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3139987/Pope-Benedicts-dope-brands-UK-as-a-Third-World-country.html

new and aggressive atheism

Otherwise known as progress!

At first I wondered why the last paragraph was included in the article, then I noticed where the link was from!

"When you land at Heathrow, you think you are in a Third World land."

In a statement, the Vatican said the cardinal had wanted to convey that Heathrow was a "melting pot of modern humanity with its diversity and problems"

If only Graeme Swann could Spin that well

Funny you should say that.

From Graeme Swann's twitter account: "Is it me or does the popemobile look like the car Homer Simpson designed when he ruined his brothers car business?"

".....Thousands of tickets for the Pope's open air masses have gone unsold...."

I didn't know the faithfull have to pay to go to mass!

I wonder exactly which third world country looks like a melting pot of humanity. Most third world countries I can think of are very racially homogenous in the sense of consisting of only the natives of the country. Poor countries don't get alot of influx of other races.

Funny you should say that.

From Graeme Swann's twitter account: "Is it me or does the popemobile look like the car Homer Simpson designed when he ruined his brothers car business?"

And mad Boris has declared it will be exempt from the London congestion charge. Which is a bit ironic really, as that vehicle will probably cause more congestion than anything else possibly could.