25 Apr 2010

Pope 'condom' gaffe: UK Foreign Office apologises

The Foreign Office was last night forced to issue a public apology after an official document suggested Britain should mark the Pope's visit this year by asking him to open an abortion clinic, bless a gay marriage and launch a range of Benedict-branded condoms.

pope-condoms

In a note, the official responsible for sending out the memo – a junior civil servant in his 20s – said: "Please protect; these should not be shared externally. The 'ideal visit' paper in particular was the product of a brainstorm which took into account even the most far-fetched of ideas."

Foreign secretary David Miliband was said to be "appalled", and Britain's ambassador to the Vatican, Francis Campbell, has met Holy See officials to voice the government's regret.

The Observer