Pope: Britain is 'force for good'

Pope Benedict XVI has praised the UK as a "force for good" after arriving for a historic visit.

But he also delivered a warning about "aggressive forms of secularism" when he urged the nation not to lose its traditional values as it "strives to be a modern and multicultural society".

The pontiff was officially welcomed by the Queen at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh for the first papal state visit to the UK.

He praised Britain's fight against Hitler's "atheist extremism", saying that "Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live".

He added: "Today, the United Kingdom strives to be a modern and multicultural society. In this challenging enterprise, may it always maintain its respect for those traditional values and cultural expressions that more aggressive forms of secularism no longer value or even tolerate."

As he flew to Scotland, the Pope spoke of his "sadness" over his church's handling of child abuse scandals. He said the Catholic Church had not dealt with abusive priests decisively or quickly enough and said its top priority now was helping victims to heal and to regain their trust in the church.