Pope Benedict XVI: State Visit Funding Debate
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Countess of Mar
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Pope Benedict XVI: State Visit Funding
Countess of Mar Excerpts(13 years, 3 months ago)
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Lord Howell of Guildford
No, it is the opposite of odd. It is very even and normal.
The Countess of Mar
Have any other visits by heads of state been funded in this manner?
Lord Howell of Guildford
No. The noble Countess makes a good point; this was a unique visit, as we know, and there has been no basis of comparison with the visits of other heads of state. It was a mixture of a visit by a head of state and a pastoral visit; hundreds of thousands of people were involved and many organisations, including, of course, the Catholic Church.