The Reverend Ian Paisley has urged the Government to cancel next week's state welcome for the Pope.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News, the former first minister of Northern Ireland also reveals he had tried to dissuade Tony Blair from converting to Catholicism when he was still Prime Minister.

Dr Paisley said of the Pope's visit: "They are receiving him as a king. He's not a king."
It is not the first time that the Free Presbyterian preacher has protested at the presence of the Pontiff.

And he says the child abuse scandals have justified his lifelong opposition to Rome.

"When the Roman Catholic people are torn asunder because of this matter that the Pope has in many ways closed an eye to, it is time for the Protestant people also to support them."

Dr Paisley told Sky News that Tony Blair confided in him before converting to Catholicism.
The former first minister had gone to Downing Street to talk politics, not theology.

Dr Paisley said: "I was the last Protestant minister that spoke to the Prime Minister the night before he was made a Roman Catholic. "He turned to me and said 'I will be a Roman Catholic tonight'.

"Well, I said I was going to say a few things and I said them - as a real Christian - because this was a matter of eternity."

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-New ... 3785?f=rss

I thought Ian Paisley was dead.

Isn't it his son? I have always had grave misgivings about people who name their own children after themselves. I can't think of anything more indicative of an ego out of control tbh.

Apart from his being "Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City"?

Idiot - he should really do some research before jumping to sectarian hatred.

Yes but considering the child abuse scandals all over the place, and the cover up over the Claudy bomber, why cant the Vatican be defined as a terror state?

Similar things could be said of the UK

Nope, both are still with us