Britain’s Foreign Office has been forced to issue a hasty apology to Pope Benedict XVI after the accidental publication of an internal memo that was long on jokes, but short on tact.
The memo joked the pope should open an abortion clinic, launch a variety of condoms, or sing a duet with Queen Elizabeth II when he begins a four-day visit to the UK in September. It also proposed the pope should bless a gay marriage, and acknowledge the clerical sex abuse scandal by establishing a hot line for abused children, or honoring abuse whistle-blowers.
Junior officials were brainstorming to discuss ideas for the papal visit, but went a bit “off-script” and let off some steam with the ill-advised jokes that have been condemned by the British government as naive and disrespectful. “The Foreign Office very much regrets this incident and is deeply sorry for the offense which it has caused,” the ministry said in a statement. “We strongly value the close and productive relationship between the U.K. government and the Holy See and look forward to deepening this further with the visit of Pope Benedict to the U.K.”
