[quote=Morning Star]Anti-poverty campaigners and MPs demanded to know today why £1.85 million of foreign aid funding was spent on the Pope's recent visit to Britain.
An influential Commons committee called on ministers to explain their decision to divert the money to subsidise the trip which is estimated to have cost the taxpayer £10m.
The committee also queried whether it met global aid rules.
The transfer of the funds from the Department for International Development (DFID) to the Foreign Office was discovered after an investigation into the former's accounts.
Malcolm Bruce, who chairs the international development select committee, said: "Many people will be as surprised as we were to discover that UK aid money was used to fund the Pope's visit last year," he said.
"Ministers need to explain exactly what this was spent on and how it tallies with our commitments on overseas aid."
A spokesman for the department said: "DFID was one of a number of government departments part-funding the Pope's visit to the UK.
"Our contribution recognised the Catholic Church's role as a major provider of health and education services in developing countries."
He said the money did "not constitute official development assistance" and was additional to the coalition's commitment to meet the 0.7 per cent UN aid target from 2013.
Campaigns and policy director at the anti-poverty charity War on Want Ruth Tanner said: "The government needs to tackle the root causes of global poverty. Eyebrows will be raised that ministers spent almost £2m on the Pope's visit." [/quote]
Source: [url]http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/index.php/news/content/view/full/100667[/url]
How much money is spent when any foreign national leader visits a country?
"Our contribution recognised the Catholic Church's role as a major provider of health and education services in developing countries."
Which is influenced by the pope's visit to the UK... How?
The pope is rich anyway, why does he need that?
Why hasn't the Pope been arrested yet?
Fuck off you religious prick.
The pope, not you.
Glad to see honest tax payer money going to fund the visits of someone who has directly aided and supported the molestation of children.
:golfclap:
the pope is such a dong
Dat Pope.
I thought one of the fundamental commandments went something along the lines of "Thou shall not be a fucking selfish prick, no one wanted you to visit England anyway because no one gives a fuck"
£2m is nothing compared to £250m the UK sends to India annually
Funny that that money could have be used to feed a hundred families for the rest of there lives.
I can't say my respect for him has gone any lower since I never had any to begin with
Will ya'll quit fuckin' whining? Whether you like it or not the pope does give people hope. Just look at what happens when he has a ceremony. Thousands of people flock to him for guidance. Yeah the Catholic church has had individuals who have done horrible things to children but that's them, not him. And more then 2 million is spent whenever a political leader travels to another country.
Is not that I dont like it because its the pope. I dont like it because money could have been spent wiser.
[QUOTE=RichyZ;27842367]he's gone out of his fucking way to aid those priests who fucked the kids, he is a criminal.[/QUOTE]
Well get him in front of an international tribunal then, considering diplomatic immunity and all. And even then most legal institutions would probably nudge in that the diplomatic immunity still applies.
Damn government wasting money and time on the pope, have a retarded political party been in charge and it wasted money on the pope and cut back on education. Should get rid of democracy altogether.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;27842836]Damn government wasting money and time on the pope, have a retarded political party been in charge and it wasted money on the pope and cut back on education.[/QUOTE]
Not all of us are pricks like this guy. Chill out and be tolerate, please. I respect you and I all I want in return is your respect.
PS: I in no way support the pope.
[QUOTE=claythepro;27842899]Not all of us are pricks like this guy. Chill out and be tolerate, please. I respect you and I all I want in return is your respect.
PS: I in no way support the pope.[/QUOTE]
Wait who are you? I was attacking the government for being so stupid to spend that money on the pope not the pope himself.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;27842836]Damn government wasting money and time on the pope, have a retarded political party been in charge and it wasted money on the pope and cut back on education. Should get rid of democracy altogether.[/QUOTE]
Yes, we should all go live in a Libertarian utopia under the sea.
[QUOTE=Fables;27843148]Yes, we should all go live in a Libertarian utopia under the sea.[/QUOTE]
I didn't say to replace it with Libertarian. Flip it and that would be a suitable replacement.
As a Jedi, I find that this Sith Lord is far more powerful and evil than previously expected.
[IMG]http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/3510/popez.jpg[/IMG]
Pope baths in money
What a complete and utter waste of money.
[QUOTE=lemming77;27838814]"Our contribution recognised the Catholic Church's role as a major provider of health and education services in developing countries."[/QUOTE]
Yeah, they do a great job telling those Africans that condoms are a sin. They're really helping spread the grace of god to stop the spread of AIDS.
[QUOTE=Sottalytober;27842030]Will ya'll quit fuckin' whining? Whether you like it or not the pope does give people hope. Just look at what happens when he has a ceremony. Thousands of people flock to him for guidance. Yeah the Catholic church has had individuals who have done horrible things to children but that's them, not him. And more then 2 million is spent whenever a political leader travels to another country.[/QUOTE]1: This is foreign aid money that had been deliberately diverted for his visit. Money that would have gone to people that need it. That doesn't happen with visits from other dignitaries
2: The Pope has been shown to be, at the very least, indifferent to the child abuse within the Catholic Church. Anyone else would be declared persona non grata and banned from entering the country by the government if it was not possible to arrest them (indeed, he has diplomatic immunity as a head of state, namely the Vatican)
3: Many things give people hope, they're not going to all commit suicide if the Pope gets rightfully arrested. I mean, there's still God to give them hope.
Wow I really miss John Paul II... This guy its a fucking prick.
the uk did this just to give the pope a bad image
it was a good idea
[QUOTE=LODY;27853958]the uk did this just to give the pope a bad image
it was a good idea[/QUOTE]
Waste of money because we already know the popes a dick.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;27854604]Waste of money because we already know the popes a dick.[/QUOTE]
Say that to his herd.
You're always going to get crazy people who become popular.
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