It dawned on me this morning that lots of comments relating to the Pope's state visit have been generated in the press recently. Many homosexuals, atheists and Muslims feel angry that "their" taxes (the money actually belongs to the state) will be used to fund parts of the Papal visit. I guess their anger seems rational - they do not agree with the Pope's moral teachings or philosophy, therefore would feel annoyed that the Government is paying for the state visit. Of course, it is right that all those millions of hard working Catholics should also feel angry that the money they have to hand over to the state is used in ways they perceive to be immoral - such as funding for abortions, and the like.
The cost of the Papal visit seems to fluctuate from day to day. One minute we're told that the cost will be about £7 million, whilst the next minute sees it rising to £20 million. These figures seem suspiciously rounded, and somewhat random - the costings never appear in any detail. I find it odd that the money needed to protect the Pope and the Queen from fundamentalists (gay rights and atheist ones) is being made readily available to the press, yet trying to find out the financial costs of such events as "Gay Pride" is tantamount to searching for the proverbial needle in a haystack! It wouldn't surprise me, though, that the policing alone for an event such as the London "Gay Pride" would run into the millions. Added to the money police forces need to find for other "gay pride" events up and down the country, we are probably talking of sums that far outweigh the costs of a great and internationally important event as Pope Benedict XVI's state visit to the UK will be! Many people do not support the gay agenda, possibly because the lifestyle clashes with their principles, yet the taxes they pay go towards events such as these displays of "Pride".
I know that many homosexual activist groups, such as Stonewall, also receive massive amounts of state funding for their work; whereas the Church saves the taxpayer enormous amounts of money every year (especially by contributing to the education, social services and housing sectors). Here, in London, most of the work of caring for the homeless, especially those in immediate crisis, is performed by the local Catholic Church, as well as other Christian denominations.
It also appears strange that no-one ever ever seems to question the funding needed for other state visits, such as that made by Mexican President Calderón last year. Do those who wish to stop the Pope's state visit, on grounds of cost, also want to stop all such events? Also, who comes up with these bizarrely fluctuating figures for the Papal visit? Wouldn't it be best to wait until after the event, instead of making wild speculations?
It seems that many of those groups and people who form the "Protest the Pope" coalition would be happy to receive state funding for various causes (some of which would be contrary to traditional morality), yet they fume with rage when the state and the Queen decide to honour a man and a Church that has done so much good for the world - as well as the UK!
Of course, the irony is that the main costs for the Papal visit will be those incurred by the policing of events that have been targeted by those protesting against it!
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