London - Pope Benedict XVI will pay an official visit to Britain next year after accepting an invitation extended by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, British press reports said late Wednesday said. The visit, which still has to be officially confirmed by the Vatican, would be the first papal trip to Britain since a pastoral visit by former Pope John Paul II in 1982.
News that Pope Benedict had accepted an invitation to Britain emerged late Wednesday from the entourage of Brown during his attendance of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Brown, and his wife Sarah, were given a private audience by the Pope in Rome in February.
"The Prime Minister is obviously delighted at the prospect of a visit from Pope Benedict XVI to Britain. It would be a moving and momentous occasion for the whole country and he would undoubtedly receive the warmest of welcomes," a spokesman for Brown said in London.
But he added: "There is no official Downing Street information." The BBC said the visit would take place in September, 2010.
Benedict could also meet with Queen Elizabeth II, head of the Church of England.
The Church of England's Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams welcomed the idea of a papal visit. "I'm sure I speak on behalf of Anglicans throughout Britain, in assuring him that he would be received with great warmth and joy," he said.
An estimated 4.2 million Catholics live in Britain.
