Prescott: immediate inquiry

Priest Ban Inquiry Under Way

The priests, from Africa and Asia but studying at a Belgian University, were due to take up post-graduate studies in Britain, but were refused visas.

Nicolas Coote, assistant secretary of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, said one reason he had heard for the visa rejection was that by saying Mass they would be working while in the UK.

The case came to light on the BBC's Today programme on Monday morning. Shortly after the piece was broadcast, the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, rang the programme to voice his concern and promise an immediate investigation.

The Foreign Office has said that the consul in Brussels was reviewing the cases, after a Foriegn Office request at the end of last week. Indications from Whitehall were that the original decision would be reversed and the priests admitted to Britain, where they planned to get work experience and provide holiday cover for their UK counterparts.

Nicholas Coote said "I am absolutely open-mouthed at this situation. This has never happened before." Clarifying that the men were not trainees, as thought yesterday, but fully-trained priests engaged in post-graduate studies, Mr Coote said: "All I can say is that if my work consisted of half an hour a day and I was paid for that, I would be laughing".

He warned the refusal of visas was giving opinion-formers in the men's home countries the impression that Britain was racially and possibly religiously bigoted.

He said Mr Prescott deserved "enormous credit" for his intervention, not only to tackle an injustice, but to protect Britain's reputation. The priests were being sent to the UK by their superiors, and cultural exchange was good for both priests and the Catholic community.

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