The Pope's state visit to the UK generated a huge amount of controversy. Protesters rallied in London on Saturday 18th September to express their anger at his promotion of reactionary values within the Church. Among them was "Cardinal Ratzarsse von Flashern" who made a pilgrimage from Nottingham in defence of secularism.

On the newswire: Cardinal Ratzarsse von Flashern interview | Pilgrimage to London to see the Pope

The demonstration attracted as many as 20,000 people. National Catholic Register conceded, "Even though the pope’s supporters clearly outnumbered his critics, this was nevertheless easily the largest public protest Benedict XVI has ever faced on one of his foreign trips, and one of the largest protests against a pope in modern history."