MORE THAN 500 LEICESTERSHIRE PILGRIMS TO JOIN MASS WITH POPE

This article appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

More than 500 Leicestershire pilgrims to join mass with Pope

A convoy of more than 500 pilgrims is to leave Leicester on a week on Sunday to take part in an open-air mass celebrated by the Pope.

Eleven coaches full of worshippers will be heading to Birmingham on an organised trip for the service with Benedict XVI.

Strict security is being imposed for the mass, which is part of a four-day official state visit, to prepare against any disruption.

Peaceful protests are likely over the Pope's record on child abuse in the Catholic church, his views on homosexuality and opposition to the ordination of women.

In all, 70,000 Roman Catholics including 1,000 priests are expected at the ceremony in Cofton Park.

The mass will beatify Cardinal Newman, a Victorian clergyman who converted to the Roman Catholic Church from the Church of England.

The service will mark a step towards Cardinal Newman being canonised as a saint.

Local Papal visit co-ordinator Father David Cain, who is based at St Peter's Catholic Church in Leicester, is confident the day will pass off well but he said security was a serious consideration.

Father Cain said: "Originally we had thought of just the coach leaders having photo ID. But it was felt that if everyone had it then the police would be helped and we all could be identified should something happen."

All the pilgrims will carry either a passport, photo driving licence or other form of identification card with a picture.

As part of a "pilgrim pack" which costs £25, there will be an itinerary for the day and orders of service.

Places on the trip were in high demand and oversubscribed.

Each parish in Leicestershire was allocated 16 places on a coach which would have worshippers from three parishes.

Father Cain said: "Each of the 11 coaches will have 49 passengers. Parishes had their own selection systems.

"Some held lotteries. At one parish, I picked out the winning numbers."

The convoy will leave at 3.45am from the Mother of God Church, in New Parks Boulevard.

Gates will open at 6am, there will be a morning service followed by the beatification mass at 10am. One county resident guaranteed to meet the Pope is Marion Lewis, who is a member of the Church of England.

She will be attending a welcoming reception by the Queen at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh shortly after the pontiff lands in Britain on Thursday.

Mrs Lewis is the national chairman of the Neighbourhood Watch scheme.

She has been chosen by the Home Office to represent voluntary organisations.

Mrs Lewis, who lives in Market Harborough, said: "I have had some ribbing from my Catholic friends who could not get a place on the bus when they found out I was going to meet the Pope."

She said security for the reception would also be very tight.

"I too have been asked to bring photo identification at the event to accompany my official invitation," she said.