Birmingham theologian Cardinal John Henry Newman will be beatified by the Pope, but the ceremony will take place in Coventry not Birmingham, Buckingham Palace confirmed today.

The Pope will hold a public mass in Coventry as part of his visit to the UK in September at the invitation of the Queen.

It will be the first Papal visit to Britain since 1982, when Pope John Paul II’s six-day tour drew huge crowds.

In a historic move, it will also be the first ever official Papal visit to Britain. The 1982 trip was a pastoral one.

Pope Benedict XVI will make his visit between September 16 and 19.

He will be received by the Queen, who is Supreme Governor of the Church of England, and the Duke of Edinburgh at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh on September 16.

The Pontiff will also travel to Glasgow, London as well as Coventry during his four-day stay.

He confirmed last month in Rome that he was set to visit England and Scotland later in the year.

The visit will also include a public mass in Glasgow and a prayer vigil in London.

He will also meet the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace and pray with other church leaders at Westminster Abbey.

More details of the Pope’s itinerary will be released closer to the time.