Thousands of Catholics from the UK and around the world are expected to attend a special Mass today to beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman, the last day of Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Britain.

Around 1,000 coachloads of the faithful will converge at Cofton Park, Rednal, for the two-hour ceremony which is set to attract 55,000 people.

The ceremony will bring Newman, who died in 1890, a step closer to becoming the first non-martyred English saint since before the Reformation.

Yesterday the Pope purposely broke off from his ecclesiastical duties to speak to victims of the Catholic sex abuse scandal. The Pontiff revealed his deep shame at the sustained abuse meted out at the hands of the Church.

He spoke for around 40 minutes with five victims who were sexually abused by priests as children.

A statement from the Holy See said: "He was moved by what they had to say and expressed his deep sorrow and shame over what victims and their families had suffered. He prayed with them and assured them that the Catholic Church is continuing to implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people, and that it is doing all in its power to investigate allegations, to collaborate with civil authorities and to bring to justice clergy and religious accused of these egregious crimes."

Before the meeting the Pope made the most vehement apology of his visit so far to apologise for the "unspeakable" crimes committed by the Church.

He told the congregation at Westminster Cathedral: "I think of the immense suffering caused by the abuse of children, especially within the Church and by her ministers. Above all, I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes, along with my hope that the power of Christ's grace, his sacrifice of reconciliation, will bring deep healing and peace to their lives. I also acknowledge with you the shame and humiliation which all of us have suffered because of these sins."

Last night the Pontiff led a vigil ahead of the beatification in which he described Cardinal Newman as a "great son of this nation". He told a crowd of 80,000 pilgrims crammed inside London's Hyde Park that Newman was "the great champion of the prophetic office of the Christian laity". The Pope added: "He saw clearly that we do not so much accept the truth in a purely intellectual act as embrace it in a spiritual dynamic that penetrates to the core of being."

The Pontiff is set to leave the UK in the early evening from Birmingham International Airport.