The UK's Foreign Office issued an apology to the Vatican yesterday over a memo published in the Sunday Telegraph which jokingly proposed that Pope Benedict XVI should sing a duet with Queen Elizabeth II and open an abortion clinic during his visit to the country in September.

Authored by junior staffers at the ministry, the memo, titled "The Ideal Visit We Would Like to See," also suggested that Benedict should launch his own brand of condoms, bless a gay marriage, and apologize for the Spanish Armada, all of which were deemed as "ill-judged, naïve and disrespectful" suggestions by the office.

"The Foreign Office very much regrets this incident and is deeply sorry for the offense which it has caused," the ministry said in a statement released on Sunday. "We strongly value the close and productive relationship between the U.K. government and the Holy See and look forward to deepening this further with the visit of Pope Benedict to the U.K."

Also expressing his regret over the document was Britain's Scotland Secretary Jim Murphy, who said during an election debate that the suggestions are "vile, they're insulting, an embarrassment, and on behalf of the whole of the United Kingdom, I would want to apologize."

Vatican spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi noted that the apologies were received by the Holy See, saying, "They supplied all the explanations, and there is nothing to add," according to AP.

Jack Valero of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales called the memo a "joke that's gone out of control," adding that it was "not important" and that "Catholics are used to forgiveness," according to CNN.

Despite the incident, Benedict's four day visit to England and Scotland in September will go on as planned.

Some Brits have protested the visit because of security costs and the controversy over the sex abuse scandal in the Church.

On Sunday, Benedict emphasized the importance of the priest's role in protecting their congregations, saying that, "Only the Good Shepherd, with immense tenderness, guards his flock and defends it from evil, and only in him can the faithful put their absolute faith."

The Pope said that priests must be able to "adhere totally to their vocation and mission through a severe self-discipline" of abstinence and meditation, and that they should be quick to listen and forgive, and be able to cultivate priestly fraternity.