Authorities veto march on eve of pope's visit

Authorities in Madrid have denied a request from 140 atheist, secular and Christian organizations to organize a protest march through Madrid on August 17, the day before Pope Benedict XVI is due to arrive in the capital.

The central government delegate in the capital vetoed the use of three proposed routes to avoid the protest coinciding with the huge numbers of young people expected to swarm into the center of town as part of The Catholic Church's World Youth Day celebrations. Madrid Deputy Mayor Manuel Cabo said protests and demonstrations were being planned but should not "take place at the same moment that hundreds of thousands of people are celebrating the exact opposite." He added he hoped City Hall would prevent the march.

An alternative route has been mooted for the march, which organizers say "is not anti-pope, but a different, peaceful opinion."