A spokesperson for the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said:
“We warmly welcome the appointment by the Prime Minister of the Right Honourable Lord Patten of Barnes as his ‘Personal Representative’, who will now oversee and manage the Government’s preparations for the State Visit of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI to the United Kingdom.
“This will enable the plans for the Visit, which are well advanced, to move into a decisive phase.
“We look forward with joy to the Visit of the Holy Father and pray that it will bring many blessings to our countries.”
