Politics and religion: now OK to discuss at dinner (mostly) 'I had a chuckle recently when I read about the scandal ahead of Pope Benedictâ??s September visit to the UK. A young civil servant, after a brainstorming session with a group of junior officers in the UK Foreign Office, sent an email outlining suggestions for the "Ideal Pope visit", such as opening an abortion clinic and launching a range of "Benedict" condoms. This sparked outrage and of course, an immediate apology.