Pope Benedict XVI confirms plan to visit Britain.

Pope Benedict XVI has confirmed reports that he will visit Britain.

The Pontiff told the Catholic bishops of England and Wales in an address marking the end of their pilgrimage to Rome that he would be making his first apostolic visit later this year.

No dates or schedule were given.

In a speech to the bishops, the Pope spoke of the "living faith and devotion" among Catholics in England and Wales, highlighting the recent visit of the relics of St Therese and the forthcoming beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

"On the occasion of my forthcoming apostolic visit to Great Britain, I shall be able to witness that faith for myself and, as successor of Peter, to strengthen and confirm it," he told the bishops.

"During the months of preparation that lie ahead, be sure to encourage the Catholics of England and Wales in their devotion, and assure them that the Pope constantly remembers them in his prayers and holds them in his heart."

In the speech, published on the Vatican Radio website, Pope Benedict offered his "warmest good wishes and prayers" for the bishops and all the faithful entrusted to their care.

He said that, even amid the pressures of a secular age, there were "many signs" of "living faith" and devotion among Catholics in both countries.

In an apparent reference to the Church's stance in areas such as gay adoption, the Pope urged the bishops to ensure that the Church's moral teaching should always be presented in its "entirety" and "convincingly defended".

The Pontiff, who will be 83 when he visits Britain, is expected to arrive in England on September 16 and travel to Scotland on September 19 before returning to Rome, according to reports.