Eight years ago all the press could talk about before the visit to Britain of Pope Benedict XVI was child abuse. The media predicted the week would be at best a failure and at worst a disaster, but had to re-write the script on day one when the sun and 70,000 people came out to greet the pontiff at Bellahouston. The visit was such a success that the prime minister, David Cameron, who had found a reason not to greet the pope at the start of the state visit, made a point of seeing him off at the end, trying to bathe in the reflected glory.