The world's best-known authority on the mythologies of christianity and the grossly faulty bible is coming to Britain soon; and he is going to meet the praying Protestant Queen.

The National Secular Society and all of us atheists are pretty alarmed at the fact that our government is going to pay for this. Terry Sanderson invited me to draw attention to the on-line petition that follows. Let's add weight to the number of objectors.

MAKE THE POPE PAY

Say NO to a state-funded visit to Britain.

Would you mention a petition we have on our website about the forthcoming visit of the Pope? It has been phenomenally successful [over 13,000 signatories as yet] and we would like to see that success continue. http://www.secularism.org.uk/petition-the-pm.html     Many thanks     Terry Sanderson

"We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to ask the Catholic Church to pay for the proposed visit of the Pope to the UK and relieve the taxpayer of the estimated £20 million cost. We accept the right of the Pope to visit his followers in Britain, but public money would be better spent on hard-pressed schools, hospitals and social services which are facing cuts."