A YOUNG Wanstead man is set to meet the head of the Catholic church.

Church parishioners and school pupils in the borough are attending events in London and Birmingham to mark the four-day Papal visit from September 16-19.

While most are looking forward to seeing the Pope from afar at the public ceremonies, former Trinity High School pupil Paschal Uche is preparing to meet the man himself.

Mr Uche will introduce the Pope to about 3,000 people on the steps of Westminster Cathedral on September 18.

Mr Uche, of Deynecourt Gardens, Wanstead, was chosen to speak on behalf of young catholics in the UK and he is set to give a short speech introducing the Pope.

The 21-year-old said: "The Pope will come out to address about 3,000 young people, representatives from all of the parishes in the county.

"Just before he speaks I will welcome him in front of the crowd and tell him what I do and my church does."

Mr Uche, who is studying for a pharmacy degree at Nottingham University, regualrly attends St Francis Church in Stratford as his family lived there before moving to Wanstead 10 years ago.

He said: "I'm trying to stay excited at the moment rather than getting nervous.

"I don't think it's fully dawned on me because the speech is my main focus, afterwards I will chill out and realise how amazing it was.

"But I don't want to think about the magnitude of it in case it gets in my head and I mess it up, I couldn't live it down."

Mr Uche said he believes his speech will be televised and before now the biggest crowd he has spoken to is maybe 300 people when he chaired a meeting for the community group, The East London Communities Organisation (TELCO).

He said he was chosen as he is good friends with the youth director of the Catholic Church in England, Dominic Howarth, as he is the Co-Chaplian of the Brentwood Diocese, which oversees East London Catholic churches.