Benedict should sanction a papal visit to Stormont to save Northern Protestants from splitting their faith into meaningless churches.
Protestant fundamentalists viciously opposed to the Pope would do well to remember the 1979 images of a vastly united Irish Catholic faith when the late John Paul visited the Republic.
Setting the internet aside, when was the last time a Protestant cleric pulled hundreds of thousands together in one venue to commemorate the core beliefs of the Reformed Faith?
In recent years, the Protestant faith has suffered from the same virus as Northern Unionism – infighting, feuds and splits.
Even in the 1990s when I was a weekly newspaper editor in Co Antrim, I identified more than two dozen different Protestant denominations – not churches – in my title's patch.
Add in all the wee breakaways, 'ourselves alone' churches and independent fundamentalists and the list must top 40 across the North.
You need only look at statements from two of the leading fundamentalist umbrella groups to see how the Stormont power-sharing Executive has tossed another cat among the Protestant pigeons.
During the Trimble era at Stormont, hardline anti-Catholicism groups, the Evangelical Protestant Society – with about 3,000 hardcore supporters – and the Caleb Foundation, which claims to represent 200,000 Northern evangelical Christians, were secretly mobilising Protestant church support against the Belfast Agreement.
Founded in 1946, the Belfast-based EPS now defends DUP MLAs who had a go at the Catholic faith, and its website carries an article entitled 'No Pope Here'.
The EPS secretary is Wallace Thompson, a former adviser to DUP deputy boss Nigel Dodds. Our Wally landed himself in hot water when he branded the Pope the Biblical Anti Christ during a live radio interview.
And now Wally has landed himself a new job – chairman of the equally hardline Caleb, named after the Old Testament Israelite spy.
Founded in 1998, Caleb was a pathetic attempt by influential figures from the equally fringe Independent Orange Order to marshal fundamentalist opposition to the Evangelical Prayer Breakfast Movement.
One Caleb-supporting nutter got very pissed off with me for suggesting it was only a recruiting tool for the Independents and that it was hardline anti-Catholic.
A quick glance at Caleb's ruling Council of Reference shows that Wally is leading a 'Protestants only' group.
There has been a growth in the evangelical Catholic movement throughout Ireland, so why won't Caleb include activists from their numbers in its ruling Council?
Perhaps some Caleb press guru could let us know why 'saved' Catholics are seemingly shunned?
Both Caleb and EPS are at great pains to point out they have no official position on the Stormont Executive, but they recognise its members hold different political opinions.
That's fancy Protestant speak for "we're just as divided as Unionism".
A Northern papal visit would certainly focus religious Protestant minds on why they are Protestants.
Maybe some people are planning to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the famous 1859 Northern spiritual revival with a new church – the Independent Free Reformed Evangelical Non-Subscribing (Happy Clappy faction/No hats) Fellowship of Ulster.
Mind you, when you see the behaviour and stunts of some Protestant fundamentalists against the Pope, they certainly fuel the view from the famous AC/DC song – Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be!
Caleb and the EPS need to ask themselves – could they be turning people off Christianity with their silly antics?
