Benedict XVI's visit to Britain, last September, cost the subjects of Elizabeth over 10 million pounds. Now, after a few months, we find that funds with which it was funded the visit of the pope were diverted to other expenditures, and a new controversy rages. Let's see where they were taken money. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth is that which has invested less, only 750 thousand pounds.
The rest of the sum, over nine million pounds, was equally divided among five departments, according to the Treasury, would "align with the objectives for the government for the papal visit": environment, agriculture and rural affairs, decentralization and local government, education, international development.
In each department the Pope's visit has cost 1.85 million pounds, about two million two hundred thousand euro. To try to recoup costs, it was decided to charge tickets: £ 10 for a prayer vigil in Hyde Park on 18 September and 25 for the ceremony of beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, in Birmingham on 19.
The Guardian had already anticipated that the UK Treasury had justified the expenditure from the Department for Environment claiming that the pope's visit would have "brought the issue of climate change not only as a matter of economy and energy security but also social justice ". Meanwhile, a parliamentary inquiry has revealed how the funds transferred to the Department of International Development were instead allocated to humanitarian aid to developing countries.
More than two million euro stolen from the so-called Third World countries and used to pay for the trip of Benedict XVI overseas. "Many people will be surprised to learn that the British money spent on aid has been used to finance the pope's visit last year," said Malcolm Bruce, chairman of the committee on international development.
"The government must explain precisely what this money was used and how this is the task of foreign aid." A spokesman for the Department of International Development has, however, explained that the allocation of funds to the papal visit was "a recognition of the role of the Catholic Church because of the importance of its contribution to health services and education in developing countries." But it is not enough to appease hearts.
"The government should not have appropriated funds to subsidize state visits," said Harriet Harman, Labour's interim leader, who demand the restoration of misappropriated funds. "The money the department must be used to fight poverty and global inequality, not to support diplomacy." 
The rest of the sum, over nine million pounds, was equally divided among five departments, according to the Treasury, would "align with the objectives for the government for the papal visit": environment, agriculture and rural affairs, decentralization and local government, education, international development.
In each department the Pope's visit has cost 1.85 million pounds, about two million two hundred thousand euro. To try to recoup costs, it was decided to charge tickets: £ 10 for a prayer vigil in Hyde Park on 18 September and 25 for the ceremony of beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman, in Birmingham on 19.
The Guardian had already anticipated that the UK Treasury had justified the expenditure from the Department for Environment claiming that the pope's visit would have "brought the issue of climate change not only as a matter of economy and energy security but also social justice ". Meanwhile, a parliamentary inquiry has revealed how the funds transferred to the Department of International Development were instead allocated to humanitarian aid to developing countries.
More than two million euro stolen from the so-called Third World countries and used to pay for the trip of Benedict XVI overseas. "Many people will be surprised to learn that the British money spent on aid has been used to finance the pope's visit last year," said Malcolm Bruce, chairman of the committee on international development.
"The government must explain precisely what this money was used and how this is the task of foreign aid." A spokesman for the Department of International Development has, however, explained that the allocation of funds to the papal visit was "a recognition of the role of the Catholic Church because of the importance of its contribution to health services and education in developing countries." But it is not enough to appease hearts.
"The government should not have appropriated funds to subsidize state visits," said Harriet Harman, Labour's interim leader, who demand the restoration of misappropriated funds. "The money the department must be used to fight poverty and global inequality, not to support diplomacy."
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