Pope may cancel visit to Britain after a memo mocked him and criticized the Catholic Church

Pope-Benedict-XVIAccording to a published report, Pope Benedict XVI may cancel a planned visit to Britain after a memo by government workers mocked him and criticized the Catholic Church.

The memo prompted the pope to consider scuttling the trip, scheduled for Sept. 16-19, the Daily Telegraph and The Times of London Online cited Vatican sources saying.

The office has said that the memo, titled "The Ideal Visit," was written by junior Foreign Office workers after a brainstorming session on ways to welcome the pontiff.

Sections of the memo published by the Telegraph suggested launching "Benedict" condoms and called on the pope to open an abortion clinic, bless a gay marriage, sponsor a network of AIDS clinics, ordain a female priest and train bishops on how to respond to child-abuse allegations.

The BBC reported on Sunday that the Foreign Office apologized for the memo. Francis Campbell, the British ambassador to the Vatican, has met senior officials of the Holy See to express the government's regret over "this foolish document."

The Foreign Office also said that three or four staff members worked on the memo and the civil servant responsible for distributing it has been put on other duties.

A Vatican source also told the Telegraph, "This could have very severe repercussions and is embarrassing for the British government. One has to question whether the action taken is enough … . It's even possible the (pope's) trip could be canceled, as this matter is hugely offensive." (With Inputs from Agencies)