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When he lands in Edinburgh this Thursday, Pope Benedict XVI will begin the first state visit to Britain by a Roman pontiff. Few think he'll get the rapturous welcome which greeted John Paul the Second on his pastoral visit 28 years ago, so what can he expect?

All Things Considered on Sunday,12 September at 9.00 am, looks ahead to the four-day tour which could cost the church and the taxpayer some £20 million, and assess this most controversial of religious leaders.

Once dubbed in his previous Vatican job as 'God's rottweiler', Pope Benedict has been attacked for the Church's handling of clerical abuse scandals, and in various statements managed to offend Muslims, Jews, the Church of England, homosexuals and women. But he's also credited with giving strong moral leadership, and seeking to reach out to people of other faiths and none.

Joining Roy Jenkins to discuss the issues are four Catholics: The Rt. Rev. Edwin Regan, Bishop of Wrexham; Paul Vallely, Associate Editor of The Independent, and a leading commentator; Mark Dowd, writer and broadcaster; and Julia Houlston-Clark, a chaplain at Cardiff Prison.

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