The April 15-20, 2008 visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Washington and New York was confirmed this week by Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
"Peter, the rock on which Jesus founded this church, will be among us in the person of his successor, Benedict the XVI," Archbishop Sambi told the U.S. bishops Nov. 12 at the beginning of their annual fall meeting in Baltimore.
The official title of the upcoming papal trip is "Apostolic Visit to the United States of America and to the Seat of the United Nations."
According to the archbishop, the pope will arrive in Washington April 15 and will receive an official welcome at the White House April 16. That afternoon, his 81st birthday, he will address the U.S. bishops.
The following day he will celebrate Mass at the new Washington Nationals baseball stadium in Washington. Later that day he will meet with directors of Catholic universities and colleges and diocesan educational leaders at The Catholic University of America in Washington and then he is to attend an interreligious meeting at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.
On April 18, the pope will be in New York to address the United Nations in the morning and attend an ecumenical meeting in the afternoon. The following day, the third anniversary of his election as pope, he will concelebrate Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in the morning and meet with youths and seminarians in the afternoon.
While in New York the pope will visit ground zero on the morning of April 20. Ground zero is the site where the twin towers of the World Trade Center stood before they were brought down by terrorist attacks Sept. 11, 2001.
Archbishop Sambi said the pope's visit to ground zero will be in "solidarity with those who have died and their families and all who wish for an end of violence and the implementation of peace."
In the afternoon, he will celebrate Mass at Yankee Stadium, which will be the final event of his U.S. trip.
Pope John Paul II, who visited the United States seven times during his pontificate, traveled to Washington and New York in 1979 and revisited New York in 1995. During both visits to New York, he addressed the General Assembly of the United Nations. Pope Paul VI likewise addressed the United Nations in 1965.
Archbishop Sambi likened Pope Benedict's visit to the United States next year to "a sign that the spirit of the Lord is with its church"; he also said he hoped the visit would provide a "new spring" and "new Pentecost" for the Catholic Church in this country.
He praised the U.S. bishops for "upholding the faith" and said the church in the United States showed "an impressive unity" among the faithful and church leaders.
The archbishop also noted the visit would mark a celebration of the beginning of the U.S. church and should demonstrate how the church in this country will continue to grow by "making all things new in Christ."
This will not be the first time Pope Benedict has visited the U.S. In February 1999, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he spoke at St. Patrick Seminary in Menlo Park.
Cardinal Roger Mahony said he was "very pleased" that Pope Benedict will visit the U.S. "His visit to the United Nations is extremely important," added the cardinal, "since his voice continues to proclaim an end to wars, violence and oppression around the world. He will no doubt call the entire world community to help eliminate poverty, provide needed health care for all, and give all nations the opportunity for self-development for their peoples.
Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York said New York Catholics were looking forward to the papal visit. Likewise, Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl spoke of "faith-filled joy and enormous enthusiasm" of Catholics in the Washington Archdiocese for the pope's visit.
During a Nov. 12 press conference at the bishops' meeting, Archbishop Wuerl said he thought the pope's decision to visit Washington and New York represented a pastoral visit to the entire country.
The archbishop called the upcoming visit "an enormous privilege" for the church of Washington and he said the archdiocese would work to make the visit "a moment of true spiritual renewal and a vibrant manifestation of God's kingdom at work among us."
Vincentian Father David O'Connell, president of Catholic University, said he looked forward to the papal visit with "tremendous anticipation and enthusiasm."
Pope John Paul visited Catholic University Oct. 7, 1979, to deliver an address on Catholic higher education. Plans call for Pope Benedict to address broader themes of Catholic education to an invitation-only audience. ---CNS |