Tatchell complains about Pope petition

Pope

Human rights activist Peter Tatchell has voiced his complaints about the Government’s response to his petition against the Papel visit to the UK later in the year. Tatchell claims that the Government has ‘ignored the issues’ that were raised in the petition, as well as closing it early. More than 12,000 people signed the petition which called on the Prime Minister to disassociate the British Government from the Pope’s intolerant views. The petition also asked for assurances that taxpayers money would not be used to fund the visit.

In a response to the petition, Downing Street said the Pope had a "global reach" and was a "valuable" government partner in tackling foreign and development issues. It added, "As with any bilateral diplomatic relationship, there are issues on which we disagree. The Holy See is clear on our positions on these issues. However, we believe that Pope Benedict’s visit will provide an opportunity to strengthen and build on our relationship with the Holy See in areas where we share interests and goals, and to discuss those issues on which our positions differ." The Pope’s homophobia, anti contraception stance and his views on women’s rights have especially upset a great deal of the population.

The statement went on to explain that the cost of policing the visit will be split between the taxpayer and the Catholic Church. The prime minister's special representative for the visit, Lord Patten, recently said the taxpayer's share of the costs of the visit had risen to £12 million, excluding security. Tatchell also complained that Downing Street had agreed to keep the petition open until October but had actually declared it closed on June 6th.