Who pays?

Much discussion as to whether the taxpayer should foot the bill for the Pope's forthcoming visit. The question seems to be - is this a state visit (in which case the taxpayer pays, no argument) or is it a Papal visit (in which case the Church would normally meet the cost). The Vatican is of course a state in its own right, and the Pope is its head, but he is also head of the Catholic Church, so in which capacity is he coming? He was invited to come by Gordon Brown - presumably as head of state of the Vatican - but it's clear that a major purpose of his visit is the beatification of Cardinal Newman and the celebration of Masses in Glasgow, London and Birmingham. The reality is that the costs are in fact being shared between the public purse and the Catholic Church, which seems fair enough.