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The first ever official Papal visit to the UK took place from 16-19 September 2010. During the trip Pope Benedict XVI visited Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Birmingham for a wide range of State and pastoral events and meetings. Find out more about the visit here. Watch highlights from the visit on the Catholic Bishops' Conference Official website for the Papal visit.
The visit represented an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen ties between the UK and the Holy See on global initiatives such as international development, poverty reduction and climate change, and to emphasise the important role of faith in creating strong communities. At a dinner hosted by Foreign Secretary William Hague, the Government and the Papal delegation released a Joint Communiqué on the eve of a summit in New York to review progress towards implementing the Millennium Development Goals. The Communiqué agreed that more needs to be done to address the unnecessary suffering caused by hunger, disease and illiteracy.
Pope Benedict XVI visited the UK as both Head of State and as the leader of a major denomination. On behalf of the Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Lord Patten of Barnes oversaw and managed the Government preparations for the visit. The Foreign Office facilitated the visit and provided logistical support.
