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SCIAF Welcomes Pope Benedict XVI

Pope Benedict XVI will receive a very warm Scottish welcome in Edinburgh and Glasgow on Thursday.

The visit of Pope Benedict XVI is a time of great joy and inspiration for the Catholic community in Scotland. It will strengthen SCIAF and its supporters’ work in alleviating poverty and injustice around the world.

Pope Benedict has been outspoken on poverty and his recent encyclical Caritas in Veritate said: “The dignity of the individual and the demands of justice require, particularly today, that economic choices do not cause disparities in wealth to increase in an excessive and morally unacceptable manner' (#32).

As the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in Scotland, SCIAF will have a large marquee in Bellahouston Park on the day of the Papal Mass with free face painting for children, campaign actions and an exhibition of SCIAF’s work in Scotland and overseas.

Pilgrims are warmly invited to come along to our marquee to meet staff and volunteersand find out more about SCIAF's work.

SCIAF will also be screening a four-minute short film on the main stage highlighting how support in Scotland is enabling it to help hundreds of thousands of people around the world to free themselves from poverty and injustice.

Pope Benedict XVI and SCIAF's Chairman Cardinal Keith O'Brien.

SCIAF’s Chief Executive Paul Chitnis will have the honour of meeting His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and Queen Elizabeth at a special reception at the Palace of Holyrood before the St. Ninian’s Parade in Edinburgh.

Paul Chitnis said:

“SCIAF is delighted to welcome Pope Benedict to Scotland. We hope his presence benefits not only the Catholic community but people of all faiths and none. At a time when the world is facing many challenges, from the economic crisis and climate change to global poverty and hardships we face in our own lives, we feel it is important to recognise that we are all members of the human family and that by working together we can create a better world for ourselves and our children.

“The Church undertakes a huge amount of positive work around the world, helping communities, regardless of their religion, to work their way out of poverty and overcome injustice. Pope Benedict’s presence will spur us on in our mission to help the poorest people in the world to have a brighter future.”