Opportunity Knox for the Pope's parade

By The Newsroom
Published 23rd Jul 2010, 15:27 BST
Updated 26th Jul 2010, 12:17 BST
HE WAS the founding father of Scottish Protestantism and a scourge of the Catholic church, but John Knox will be out on the streets as part of the celebrations when the Pope comes to Edinburgh.

The fiery 16th-century preacher who led the Scottish Reformation is one of the historical characters to be portrayed in a pageant which will proceed along Princes Street as part of a St Ninian's Day parade as Benedict XVI visits the Capital in September.

Church organisers said they wanted the pontiff's visit to be a "unifying" occasion and were planning the parade as a national event rather than a purely Catholic affair.