'Pope for hire' row as rich pay millions and then get to meet him

The Pope’s visit to Britain came under fresh scrutiny last night after it was revealed that multi-millionaires funded a significant proportion of the trip and were granted a coveted private audience with the Pontiff.

Insiders said the bulk of the £6.5 million raised so far by the Catholic Church to finance the visit came from businessmen including JCB boss Sir Anthony Bamford.

During the four-day visit, many of the donors met Benedict XVI at a series of gatherings, one of which took place just before Mass at Westminster Cathedral.

Costs for State events during the visit, including the Pope’s meeting with the Queen, were met by the taxpayer, but the Catholic Church was faced with a £10 million bill for staging religious events such as the Hyde Park prayer vigil.

The Church still needs to raise another £3.5 million to cover this bill and it is set to approach many of the donors again to see if they are prepared to make up the shortfall.

A national collection in the parishes earlier this year raised only about £1 million.

Catholics last night voiced their unease over the need to raise money from businessmen.

One insider said: ‘It is always an uncomfortable place for the Church, cosying up to the rich.

‘Some Catholics will feel distinctly queasy, especially as donors had the rare chance to meet and talk to the Pope face-to-face.’

Sir Anthony Bamford, one of the Conservative Party’s leading donors, was embroiled in controversy in May when he unexpectedly withdrew his name from consideration for a peerage.

The Tory Party would not respond to reports that his decision followed checks with the Inland Revenue about his tax affairs.

The chairman of construction equipment maker JCB is estimated to be worth £950 million and owns a £5 million villa in Barbados.

According to Catholic sources, other benefactors of the trip included ex-BP chairman and Royal Bank of Scotland director Peter Sutherland, Swiss businessman Urs Schwarzenbach and investment banker John Studzinski.

Outgoing Barclays Bank chief executive John Varley is also thought to have been approached.

Schwarzenbach, who made his fortune by setting up a foreign exchange dealership, has bought more than £40 million of property in Britain.

American-born Mr Studzinsky, who once considered becoming a priest, left HSBC earlier this year – where he is rumoured to have made £25 million in only three years – to head American private-equity firm Blackstone.

Some of the donors to the Pope’s visit are thought to have given £250,000.

Catholic campaigner Pat Gaffney, general secretary of the Catholic peace movement Pax Christi, said: ‘Any organisation needs to be watchful and critical of the sources of funding it receives.

‘I hope the Church would have looked very closely at the nature of the funding and not accepted from anyone about whom they had any qualms. I also hope there were no strings and no privileges attached.’

Catholic theologian Tina Beattie, a prominent commentator on the visit, said she was ‘disappointed’ by the disclosures.

Professor Beattie said that while the Pope may have had to shake hands with wealthy backers to pay for his visit, she did not believe they had influenced his overall message, which had included a sideswipe at reckless bankers.

A spokesman for the Church said it never confirmed the identity of donors and there was no understanding that benefactors would necessarily meet the Pope during the visit.

The Vatican was rocked by a £19 million money-laundering scandal last week, just days after the Pope’s trip to Britain.

Italian police said the Vatican Bank’s chairman Ettore Gotti Tedeschi was under investigation.

The Vatican said it had ‘full faith’ in Mr Tedeschi.

SIC: DMO/UK