Church wants Boyle to sing for the pope

The Church in Scotland wants Susan to perform for Pope Benedict XVI.

London: The Roman Catholic Church in Scotland wants Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle to perform for Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Britain later this year, a spokesman said Sunday.

Boyle, who was catapulted to global stardom after appearing on a British TV talent show, would be a "great asset" to events planned for Benedict`s trip in September, said a spokesman for the Church in Scotland. He said there were hopes a meeting could be held to discuss the involvement of the Scottish singer at a public mass in Glasgow during the papal visit. "She certainly would be a great asset to the programme on the day and we hope to be able to discuss the possibility of her participation soon," said the spokesman. There was no confirmed agreement with the star as yet and no formal invitation or approach had been made, he added. The leader of the world`s Catholics will be in Britain on September 16-19. Besides Glasgow, he will visit London and Coventry, where he will beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman, a 19th century theologian. Boyle -- a plain, single, unemployed 49-year-old -- was discovered in April last year when she stunned judges on the television show "Britain`s Got Talent" with her performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables". Although she ended runner-up in the competition, footage of her singing became a YouTube hit, with more than 100 million viewings. Her first album, "I Dreamed a Dream," was the best-selling debut in British chart history and also topped the US charts. Boyle, from Blackburn in eastern Scotland, has become the focus of enormous media attention since her talent show success, with British tabloid newspapers dubbing her `SuBo`. Bureau Report