Pope to visit England, Scotland in September
March 16, 2010 20:20 EDT

LONDON (AP) -- Buckingham Palace has announced that Pope Benedict will pay a four-day visit to Scotland and England in September.

British officials describe it as a "papal visit with the status of a state visit," but lacking some of the usual steps taken for a visiting head of state. Pope John Paul made a similar trip in 1982 which was considered a pastoral visit only.

The pontiff plans to conduct a public mass in Glasgow's Bellahouston Park, where some 300,000 people swarmed a mass celebrated by Pope John Paul 28 years ago.

In England, Benedict will preside at the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman in Coventry. He will also deliver a speech to leaders of civil society, join leaders of other churches for an ecumenical service at Westminster Abbey and meet with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams.

Williams calls the visit an opportunity to cement ties between the Vatican and the United Kingdom, as well as the Roman Catholic Church with Christian churches in the U.K.