The Pope’s visit shows that modern Britain remains gripped by its old anti-Catholic hatreds

All this article tells me is that many still have a giant chip on their shoulder. Furthermore, you so get the feeling that Rory doesn't have a clue what he's on about.

What was the Church's role in the 1930's? What was Pius XII's role in the 1930's and 1940's? What was Ireland's role in the 1930's and 1940's?

Oh come on, what a ridiculous article. Can't you see that all the protests against the Pope are about his stance on contraception and gay rights. And even worse, his cover up of the disgusting sexual abuse. I'm an Irish man living in London. Modern Britain is a very welcoming and open minded place for me. You are paranoid and living in the past. You should live in the present and stop judging things from afar.

It is right on. Historically, it is interesting because the "protestant" history goes back only about 500 years, and it also has had its moments of supreme intolerance and butchery...both from Cromwell and by Calvin in his little theocracy in Switzerland (after rebelling against theocratic rule in his "Institutes of the Christian Religion". But the English were oppressors in Ireland before Henry VIII decided he would be a better Pope than the one in Rome...odd exchange, don't you think? And why did the English kill all the Tazmanians??? Not religion, racism. So nothing really stops being stupid, it just evolves and the so called intellectual left adopts the stupidity they claim to hate...oh, intolerance is only one way...the left can be intolerant because they are the modern true believers, but the rest of us are chopped liver.

As someone below rightly says: tosh! This kind of stuff gives political punditry a bad name.

Oh dear dear!!

Great article. I particularly admire your pointing out the hypocrisy of the gay rights lobby - with their self-professed leaders Tatchell and (the luvvies luvvie) Fry. It is universally known, though rarely acknowledged in these PC enlightened times, that gay men 'like' boys. There are in fact, studies which show that 80% of the abuse cases in the US were perpetrated by gay priests.

I am waiting for the day when EVERY paedophile priest is officially excommunicated for killing the spirits of all those young boys and girls. It's too bad that one of the many Catholic church rules, such as excommunication for abortion and refusing to give Communion to abortion supporters, doesn't include excommunication for these priests. To think of how many people unknowingly took the Body of Christ from the hands of these thousands of monster priests sends chills down my spine. And the Church knew about it. If there is anti-Catholic sentiment in UK today and elsewhere, it is fueled by the Church's sins of neglect, omission, and refusal to own up to these horrors.

the allowance of horrific abuse in catholic institutions of children created the recent day hatred. slave labor in magdalene laundries of good shepherd concents and institutions was evil not religious,

Like I said, if the Pope dared to come to Ireland now the reception would be even worse.

RORY FITZGERALD, you need to get down off your high horse & deal with some of your own hatred. You sound positively dangerous.

All the proof that anyone wants of the charge that Britain is anti-Catholic will be destroyed by the accurate recordings of the only TV station publically closely following Pope Benedict's state visit to Scotland and England can found by visiting it's website here: " haytch tee tee pee colon forward slash forward slash news dot sky dot com forward slash skynews forward slash pope " Lots to see, hear and read of, all of it true and ongoing ahead of the beatification of John Newman tomorrow morning.

First let me put my cards on the table. I'm an English atheist of Irish catholic descent. To be sure, the English oppressed Irish catholics in the past when they had done them no harm, and that was a disgrace. So much has been written about it that I have little to add. I agree entirely that Cromwell was a monster. He displaced the leaders of my own clan to County Clare, throwing them off their land in County Cork. Don't forget, though, that the catholic church had done plenty to stir up the English against them. The church endorsed the attempted Spanish invasion of England by the Armada, for one thing. Guy Fawkwes, an Englishman, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in the name of Catholicism, and I have no problem atall with the practice of burning him in effigy that continues to this day. What they did wrong was to take it all out on the poor bloody Irish, but don't pretend they have no genuine reason to be against the Catholic church, because it isn't true. As for problems with catholic doctrine or the modern catholic church, I hardly know where to start. Ignoring my lack of belief itself, there are issues ranging from birth control to paedophilia, and the pope himself, when cardinal, is on record as allowing a known paedophile to remain in the church for years.

Great article Rory guaranteed to bring all of the bigots and scum out from under their respective rocks. Gay rights my ass! 'pun intended'. Their sexual orientation as they call, it will now allow the perverts to practice their pedophilia under this guise. ( Catholic pedophiles and non- Catholic pedophiles. ) Yes, there are more pedophiles in the world that are non-Catholic. Many more than there are Catholics pedophiles! But why bash them hell that snot as good as the dirty old Catholic priests, right? Please note sarcasm!

What a load of tosh. It's nothing to do with "old anti-Catholic hatreds". The majority of people in the UK aren't especially religious and most of those who are don't hate Catholics - there is a strong Catholic presence in the UK anyway. Any hatred is down to recent disclosures about paedophilia, which is what's hated in modern Britain. Obviously it exists - in all countries, not just the UK - but I have never experienced any religious bigotry.