When Pope Benedict’s plane touches down on British soil on September 16, it will mark the culmination of many months of meticulous planning for the team charged with preparing for his visit.

The Papal Visit steering group, which meets regularly in Whitehall, is chaired by a Civil Service mandarin – Dame Helen Ghosh, permanent secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – and is effectively a coalition between Church and State officials who are working closely on the first Papal visit since John Paul II traveled here in 1982.

The two leading figures on the steering group are Dame Helen - a Catholic - and her opposite number from the Church, Mgr Andrew Summersgill, who is the national co-ordinator for the visit.  

Faith Today spoke to Dame Helen and to Mgr Andrew about their key roles in the coming visit.

FT: Wouldn’t it be better if the Pope spent all his time on pastoral events, and didn’t let State matters take up his time here?

Mgr Andrew: I’m sure there are people who think, why can’t the Pope spend more time with his people?  And the answer is that it’s important to show that religion isn’t a private matter in the sense that some would like to see it.  It’s a positive witness to the role of faith.

FT: Is the government taking this visit seriously?  We all heard about the disrespectful memo from the Foreign Office...

Mgr  Andrew: That wasn’t indicative of the general attitude within the Civil Service.  The Papal Visit Planning Board brings together a wide range of experience from, for example, different government departments, the Royal Household, the police and so on – and it consists of lots of very dedicated people who will work hard to make this visit a success.

FT: It must be a daunting job for you...

Mgr Andrew: Sometimes it feels daunting because there’s such a real deadline.  The biggest challenge is the parts of the visit which involve bringing large groups of people together...there are lots of challenges around that.  We need to make sure that people can get to where the Pope will be, and can pray and can hear what the Pope has to say...we’ve got to keep them safe, secure and comfortable...and that’s a huge logistical challenge.  Transport, for example, is a huge issue – we reckon that more than 50% of all the coaches in England will be in use transporting people to Coventry for the beatification event.  And remember, we’re not doing one event – we’re doing three big events in just four days...

FT: Is it going to be very similar to Pope John Paul’s visit in 1982?

Mgr Andrew: The big difference between the visit of 1982 and the visit this year will be that people will only be able to attend one of the events if they receive an invitation.  It’s because we live in a very different world now from that of 1982, especially in terms of safety and security – we can’t just open the doors and invite everyone who wants to come, because we wouldn’t be able to ensure their safety.

FT: Will there be opportunities to see the Pope in his Popemobile as he travels around Britain?

Mgr Andrew: There will be those opportunities, yes.  I’m not sure that people will travel for miles to line his route, but I do think that people who live in an area he’s passing through, or near it, might come out to see him.  

FT: Have you ever met Pope Benedict yourself?

Mgr Andrew: I’ve met him several times.  I was very touched because on one occasion soon after he became Pope, I met him as part of a delegation.  I was introduced to him by a Swiss bishop, and straightaway he said – ‘We’ve met before, haven’t we?’.  I thought he was extraordinary to remember my face, when he must meet so many people the whole time.

FT: What will you be doing during the visit itself?

Mgr Andrew: I’ll be travelling around Britain with Pope Benedict.  

FT: Does organising this huge event, or series of events, keep you awake at night?

Mgr Andrew: No – on the contrary, I’m looking forward to it.  I’m looking forward to seeing what people’s reactions are to the Pope.  I’m looking forward to things working out the way they should work out...but of course I’m realistic enough to know that there are bound to be glitches...

FT: What do you most hope for from the visit?

Mgr Andrew: When you meet Pope Benedict, you’re struck by what a lovely smile he has, and by what a gentle, humble person he is.  He doesn’t push himself forward at all.  If we can help people to see that side of him, as well as providing opportunities for people to listen carefully to what he has to say, I think things will have gone well.

Dame Helen Ghosh

FT: Could you explain the exact nature of the Pope’s visit – is it a state occasion, or a church occasion?

Dame Helen: It’s a state visit, but it has some events that are entirely pastoral.  The only difference between any other state visit and this one will be that some elements of a state visit aren’t applicable in this case – for example, heads of state usually stay with the Queen, but the Pope always stays on church premises.  Also, the Pope doesn’t attend state banquets.

FT: Why is it a state visit at all?

Dame Helen: The Vatican is a key player in several policy areas which were important to the last UK government, and are important to this one.  One of those is climate change; another is development, and particularly the Millennium Development Goals; and another is education, and the key role the Church has as a provider of education in this country.  We want people to come away from this visit with a real sense that the Vatican and the UK government have a set of common goals.

FT: How different is this from your usual job at DEFRA?

Dame Helen: I was asked to do this job partly because I’m a practising Catholic – so when someone talks about for example the Angelus, I understand what they’re talking about.  But there’s a lot of learning for me in this job – I’m learning a lot about how a State visit works, and a lot about how the Vatican works.  It’s fascinating – I’m enjoying it.

I’ve got a lot of experience from my work here at DEFRA that’s relevant – for example, DEFRA is the department that responds to emergencies like floods and so on, and how you respond to those emergencies is by having plans in place.  And the Pope’s visit is all about having plans in place.

We know there will be problems – there will be communication problems, and there will be protestors.  But the important thing is to keep focused on the main messages.

This visit is an opportunity to show that the Catholic Church is represented at all levels in British society, and that Catholics play their part in the way our nation works