The visit was organised in the wake of the Pope's successful state visit to Britain in September 2010 during which he is said to have been impressed by David Cameron's strong defence of the importance of faith in public life. In a speech to the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, which trains Papal diplomats, last night, Baroness Warsi warned of the growing danger of "militant secularists" to British life. She attacked the "well-intentioned liberal elite" for undermining the role of faith. She said: [They] conversely, are trying to create equality by marginalising faith in society and think that the route to religious pluralism is by creating a path of faith-neutrality. She claimed that this led to them attempting to "downgrade religion to a mere subcategory in public life." The peer continued: "But look at their supposed level playing field. Its terrain is all but impassable to anyone of belief. One of the arguments of the liberal elite is that faith and reason are incompatible. But they don't realise, as the Holy Father has argued for many years, that faith and reason go hand in hand. Just as reason should not be excluded from debates about faith...so too spirituality should not be excluded when we look at worldly matters. In an article for L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, Baroness Warsi described the "immense honour" of meeting Pope Benedict and praised the work of the Catholic Church internationally. Ahead of the diplomatic discussions which will take place today, she said: "Our bilateral talks will of course see discussions on hard power questions, from giving impetus to this year's multilateral talks on an Arms Trade Treaty and small arms proliferation, to the future of the Middle East. From Britain's efforts to help bring peace and hope to Somalia and the Horn of Africa after years of civil war and under-development, to the impact of the Eurozone crisis on European societies, structures and politics, including in the United Kingdom. But our conversation must also range more widely. I want the British government to consider with the Holy See how inter-religious dialogue - including that between Islam and Christianity - can be strengthened to prevent conflict and discrimination, guarantee respect. In an article for The Daily Telegraph, the Cabinet Office minister said that to create a "more just society" Britons must "feel stronger in their religious identities." The minister, who is also chairman of the Conservative Party, wrote: "My fear today is that a militant secularisation is taking hold of our societies.