The Pope in Naples - Full Coverage

Quick AmP coverage & highlights of Pope Benedict's one-day pastoral visit to Naples, Italy:

"Pope Benedict XVI kisses the relics of Naples' patron saint inside the St. Gennaro cathedral in Naples."

Vatican radio has a summary and preview of today's events: "Pope Benedict is due to make a one day pastoral visit to Naples tomorrow, during which he will meet with over 300 religious leaders attending an international, interfaith meeting sponsored by the Saint Egidio community. Philippa Hitchen reports..." [click here.]

CNA reports: Tens of thousands of Neapolitans turned out today in pouring rain to hear the Pope’s words and show their support for him. Cries of “viva la Papa” (long live the Pope) could be heard as the he made his way in the Pope mobile to the Piazza del Plebiscito, where he celebrated Mass and recited the Angelus. [click here.]

John Allen: "On a cold, rainy morning in Naples’ Plebiscite Square, flanked by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, and the Patriarch of Constantinople, Pope Benedict XVI said that “prayer is the greatest force for the transformation of the world." [click here.]

AsiaNews.It: “The real ‘spirit of Assisi’, …. opposes all forms of violence and the abuse of religion as a pretext for violence”. The pope underlined this during his brief meeting with the representatives of the religions gathered in Naples for the World Meeting for peace, promoted by the St. Egidio Community. [click here.]

Zenit: "Benedict XVI called for widespread initiatives in Naples to help curb the prevalent "mentality" of violence in the city, and slammed in particular the organized crime of the Camorra." [click here.]

Much more coverage by Teresa Benedetta et. al. over at the Papa Ratzinger Forum.

Also, a light-hearted take on one of the trip's more iconic moments at Curt Jester.

And of course, some of the best selections from the photo feed:

... I've been on those steps! In matter of fact, I've sat and ate lunch right where the Pope is standing.

In honor of his visit I think I'm going to eat some neapolitan pizza. Viva il Papa!

Pope Benedict in Austria: Schonborn Site Coverage

I will be very busy this weekend with an event in Washington DC (which I'll be posting about next), and as a result I can't guarantee being free to cover the Pope's visit to Austria this weekend.

As a substitute, I refer my readers to the Cardinal Schonborn Site and its coverage page.

And actually, since I run that website as well, I can't really guarantee that it will get updated either - but I'll try.

Also, Austrian-born Catholic blogger Gerald Augustinus is going to be covering the events on his blog Closed Cafeteria as an official press photographer (lucky!).

"Pope may visit Holy Land next year"

Reuters:

Pope Benedict could visit the Holy Land next year, Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Thursday after a private audience with the Pontiff.

"His initial inclination is to do it next year," Peres told a news conference. "I believe he will try to do whatever he can to have his visit not postponed for any length of time."

The Pope told Peres's predecessor two years ago that he hoped to visit Israel in 2006, but that failed to happen and his spokesman said the timing of a visit was still not clear.

"As you know, the Pope is ready but the timetable still needs to be seen," Federico Lombardi told reporters after the audience.

The German-born Pope, who visited the former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz last year, is due to pray at a memorial for Austrian victims of the Holocaust when he visits Vienna on Friday.

CWNews on the Pontiff's meeting with Peres.

Pope Benedict to Loreto this weekend

Update: It looks like the kids in Loreto have already started the pre-arrival bash:

(REUTERS/Daniele La Monaca (ITALY)

CWNews:

Pope Benedict XVI will travel to Loreto, Italy this weekend for a gathering of young Italian Catholics.

The Holy Father will leave his summer residence on Saturday afternoon, September 1, traveling by helicopter to Loreto, on Italy's eastern coast. His weekend visit will include a question-and-answers session with the 800 participants in the "Agora" gathering, a time for private prayer in the Holy House of Loreto, and a Mass on Sunday morning. Pope Benedict will return to Castel Gandolfo on Sunday evening.

The "Agora" meeting is part of a 3-year campaign among Catholic youth, which in turn is the result of a pastoral-planning meeting among Italian Church leaders in 2006. The campaign, designed to reinvigorate the faith among young Italians, will continue through the World Youth Day observance in Sydney, Australia, in July 2008, and conclude with a final year of evangelization aimed at Italian youth.

Amy Welborn's new blog, "Charlotte was Both", has much more.

Next week Pope Benedict will be travelling next week to Mariazell, Austria, a popular Marian shrine that I was able to visit when I was studying nearby. More on that trip later.

Oh, and he's going to visit Naples in October.

It's about time for a China post

The AP reported today:

A senior official in China's state-sanctioned Catholic Church said in comments published Tuesday that he would like Pope Benedict XVI to visit China.

Benedict did not dismiss the possibility but said the issue was "complicated.''
Liu Bainian, vice chairman of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, made the comments in an interview with Italian daily La Repubblica in which he praised Benedict's recent letter to China's Catholics as "positive.''

"I strongly hope to be able to see the pope one day here in Beijing to celebrate Mass for us Chinese,'' Liu was quoted as saying.

CNA:

Liu explained that in the past the government saw the Church as meddling in the affairs of the state, but stressed that Chinese Catholics always recognized the sole authority of the pope as far as religion was concerned.

"The Holy See is the only representative of Jesus on earth, and as Catholics we must follow it," he said. "What we must affirm is our political and economic independence; otherwise we remain a colonial church."

CWNews:

Recalling visits to Rome in 1991 and 1994, Liu recalled, "I remember that in one Roman church, there were 7 Catholics at Mass, in another 4 and in yet another, I was the only one. I wanted to cry...Italy is the birthplace of Catholicism, but in China, the churches are full." He boasted that the Catholic Church is growing rapidly in China. "In 1979, there were 1,100 priests in China, the majority of them old and sick," he said. "Today we have 1,800, whose average age is 30. The Cultural Revolution destroyed 3,600 churches, all of which we have rebuilt."

Related: Cardinal Zen warns against confusion surrounding the Pope’s China letter - CWNews

I think we could very well see a Papal visit to China by the year 2009. Granted, many things have to fall in place. But the amount of progress we've seen in the last couple months should not be ignored.

Update: more on the WYD/Randwick racetrack dispute

In follow-up to this post, more details today from the Australian Southern Courier:

The NSW Government told Randwick horse trainers that it would use legislation compelling Randwick Racecourse to be used as the venue for next year's Papal Mass if trainers did not comply with the decision.

Anthony Cummings, president of the Randwick Trainers Association, told the Courier he had been seeking legal avenues to pressure the Government into hosting the mammoth event elsewhere in Sydney.

But after a meeting with Labor MLC John Della Bosca last week, he said he was resigned to the fact that the event would go ahead at Randwick.

While one could look at this situation negatively (i.e., local business is being negatively impacted by the encroachment of WYD) I think there are also two positives:

First, it demonstrates that the Australian government is deeply committed to hosting WYD. This is, from the perspective of the government, just good economic sense, as a WYD brings in a great deal of tourism and related commerce. It also betokens a hopsitable environment to high-profile events of a religious nature.

Second, the WYD representatives are very committed to ensuring that the effected individuals and businesses receive just compensation (quoting from the same article):

World Youth Day officials said they had already adjusted their planning to minimise disruptions for the trainers.

"His Eminence has always wanted us to ensure that we minimise the disruption to the racing community," World Youth Day communications director Jim Hanna said.

"We have been in discussions to assist with relocating those affected for the 10-week period."

A spokesperson for Deputy Premier John Watkins said negotiations about compensation for racecourse users were "ongoing".

Mr Cummings said the State Government had seemed "quite genuine" with regard to compensation talks.

And I think under these circumstances that's the best you can hope for. Moving on!

CNA: "Pope Benedict hopes to visit the US in 2008"

CNA reports:

The spokesman for the Vatican, Fr. Fredrico Lombardi, announced yesterday that Pope Benedict XVI will make his first trip to the United States. Speaking on Italian state television, Fr. Lombardi said that the Pope plans to accept the invitation of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to attend the General Assembly session in New York in September of 2008.

Other upcoming papal trips were also announced by the Vatican’s spokesman.

This September 7th-9th the Holy Father will travel to Vienna, Austria to deliver an “internationally important” speech to the diplomats accredited to the various international organizations headquartered in the Austrian capital.

The final voyage announced will be to the Marian shrine in Lourdes, France.

Update: In response to this confirmation, the Archdiocese of New York has released a statement.

And just when you thought it was all done...

Update: WDTPRS hears the rumor: "visit of Benedict XVI in China during autumn."

... That would be an incredible surprise to me, at least for this year. Next year? *Maybe.*

Original post: Zenit reports that there is now a Papal Visit to Fatima possible.

But before that, however, the next papal visit will be to Mariazell, Austria this September.

(Hey, I've been there! Maybe I can scratch up some pictures...)

I'm calling it an evening now, but I'll be cleaning up and organizing the past week's coverage of Pope Benedict's visit to Brazil sometime later today. Thanks, again, to everyone who visited, commented and linked!

Final Day in Pictures

The best three pictures from Pope Benedict's final day in Brazil:

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates an open-air mass in the vast explanade of the Aparecida basilica, in Aparecida.

Pope Benedict XVI waves goodbye at the air base in Sao Paulo, Sunday, May 13, 2007, after his first trip as pontiff to Latin America.

General view of the open-air mass conducted by Pope Benedict XVI in the vast explanade of the National Sanctuary of Aparecida, in Aparecida do Norte.

Pictures: L'Osservatore Romano gets the best shots

The photographers for L'Osservatore Romano have special access to papal events, with obvious results:

Pope Benedict XVI walks on the altar during his meeting with Brazilian Bishops at Se Cathedral in Sao Paulo, Friday, May 11 - AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano.

Pope Benedict XVI prays during his meeting with Brazilian Bishops at Se Cathedral in Sao Paulo, Friday, May 11 - AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano.

Pope Benedict XVI waves to faithful at the end of his meeting with Brazilian Bishops at Se Cathedral in Sao Paulo, Friday, May 11 - AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates a canonization mass for Antonio Galvao in the Campo de Marte military airport in Sao Paulo May 11, 2007 - REUTERS/Osservatore Romano (BRAZIL)

Picture: Waiting for the Pope in Rural Brazil

Residents on a farm near Potim catch a glimpse of Pope Benedict XVI as his vehicle drives past after visiting the Fazenda Esperanca drug rehabilitation center, near the Aparecida sanctuary in Sao Paulo State, May 12, 2007. The Pope is visiting Brazil through Sunday. REUTERS/Caetano Barreira (BRAZIL)

Photos: Canonization Mass of Bl. Galvao

Photo highlights from the Pope's Holy Mass and canonization of Bl. Antonio Galvao:

AP Photo/Dado Galdieri

AFP/Martin Bernetti

AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

REUTERS/Tony Gentile (BRAZIL)

(AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker (BRAZIL)
REUTERS/Tony Gentile (BRAZIL)
Paulo Whitaker/Reuters
REUTERS/Sergio Moraes (BRAZIL)
REUTERS/Caetano Barreira (BRAZIL)
REUTERS/Bruno Domingos (BRAZIL)
AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan
AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan
AP Photo/Andre Penner


Complete coverage of Day Three here.

Photos: Pope Meets With Youth (Thursday)

Photos from the Pope's meeting with youth this evening at Pacaembu soccer stadium in Sao Paulo:

AP Photo/Victor Caivano

REUTERS/Bruno Domingos (BRAZIL)

REUTERS/Sergio Moraes (BRAZIL)

REUTERS/Tony Gentile (BRAZIL)

REUTERS/Sergio Moraes (BRAZIL)

AP Photo/Victor CaivanoREUTERS/Caetano Barreira
AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia
AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo
REUTERS/Caetano Barreira (BRAZIL)

Benedict to Focus on the Youth of Brazil

Update: Via the Whapsters, Brazilian bishops are trying to bid on hosting WYD in 2011. [More.]

"This is my first pastoral visit to Latin America and I am preparing myself spiritually to visit the continent where almost half the Catholics of the whole world, many of them young people, live." (my emphasis)

This statement, along with him pointedly referring to S. America as the "continent of hope", reveal one of Benedict's primary goals for his trip to Brazil: to proclaim the Gospel in all its power to Brazil's young people.
He has, for instance, scheduled a special meeting with 40,000 Brazilian youth in a soccer stadium, and I'm very interested to see what he has to say to them.

The AFP published an article today with some sobering statistics regarding the sexual practices of Brazilian youth. Now, admittedly, the survey that provides these statistics was requested by "Catholics for a Free Choice", a notorious group that specifically targets gatherings of Catholic youth. I remember when attending WYD 2005 in Cologne, Germany, that Catholics for a free Choice had plastered pro-condom/contraception advertisements all over the city. Amazingly some that I saw disappeared soon after.

Back to the survey, the AFP article quotes the head of the "Life and Family Episcopal Commission of Brazil's Conference of Bishops" saying that the Brazilian youths who were surveyed are "young people who say they are Catholic but do not practice Catholicism....They are Catholics only by name."

Other forces are trying to array against the pope, including self-professed feminists, homosexual-rights groups, "Catholics for the Right to Choose" (which could very well be the same as Catholics for a Free Choice), as this article details.

Meanwhile, the ongoing debate between whether the Roman Catholic population in brazil is declining sharply or "stabalizing" remains fierce. An emergent figure for the media to quote as the "Catholic who disagrees with Pope" is Father Jaime Crowe (known locally as Padre Jaime - picture), who Reuters (and I'm sure other portals) will be quoting often.

A quotation from the Reuters article, interviewing Padre Jaime:

The shantytown has many one-parent families, second marriages and teenage pregnancies. Drug and alcohol addiction is common, and violence is rife.

"How do we reconcile all that with the Gospel and not make people feel excluded?," he [Padre Jaime] said.

This article, and many others, also claim that interest in Pope Benedict's visit is much less than that generated by Pope John Paul II's (four) visits. But time will tell on that one - don't discount Papa Benny before he has his chance.

On a slightly related topic, things aren't all bad. Thirty-eight new recruits to the Swiss Guard were sworn in today, and Pope Benedict thanked them for "choosing to dedicate some years of [their] youth to the service of the Pope and his closest collaborators."

[photo: AFP/File Mauricio Lima]

3 days before: Benedict preparing to visit Brazil and the "continent of hope"

Today at his Regina Caeli address Pope Benedict asked prayers for his journey to Brazil this week.

Zenit reports:

Benedict XVI says that his trip to Brazil will be an effort to promote the Church's evangelization so that Latin America will more and more be "the continent of hope."

The Pope said today at his Regina Caeli address: "This is my first pastoral visit to Latin America and I am preparing myself spiritually to visit the continent where almost half the Catholics of the whole world, many of them young people, live."

"It is for this reason," he added, "that Latin America has been given the name 'continent of hope': It is a hope that has to do not only with the Church but with the whole of America and the entire world." [More...]

Zenit has additional coverage of Pope Benedict's upcoming activities in Brazil here.

Reuters has a bit about the Cathedral Our Lady of Aparecida, "Latin America's most popular shrine and one of the world's largest cathedrals" which will be central to Benedict's visit [it was originally inaugurated by Pope John Paul II]:

Every year millions of Brazilian and foreign pilgrims visit the shrine, in the city of Aparecida about 100 miles east of Brazil's biggest city Sao Paulo.

Its story dates back to 1717 when three fishermen having a run of bad luck cast their nets in the River Paraiba and dragged up a headless statue of the Virgin Mary. They also salvaged the head and, according to the legend, then netted plenty of fish.

[More.]

Interior capacity? 45,000 worshippers.

Previous coverage of Pope Benedict's visit to Brazil available here.

[top photo credit & caption: Ribbon bracelets for good luck {good luck?} with the phrase 'Friar Galvao pray for us' are seen at a store in Guaratingueta, Brazil, on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2007. Pope Benedict XVI will canonize Antonio de Sant'Anna Galvao, known as Friar Galvao, an 18th century Franciscan born in Guaratingueta, during the pontiff's visit to Brazil May 9-13. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)]

MSM characterization of Benedict's visit to Brazil

Five days before the Pope's visit to Brazil the mainstream media has decided (I think) how they are going to approach their coverage of his trip.

Simply put, Benedict is visiting Brazil, they will say, to prevent evangelical Protestantism from taking over the Roman Catholic Church there.

Fundamentally accurate, only partially true or hardly relevant, you can bet you'll be hearing variations of this in every report that gets filed during the pope's journey.

As an example, here's the opening line from the UK Telegraph: "Pope Benedict XVI will fly to Brazil next week to try to shore up flagging support for the Roman Catholic Church against a wave of evangelical Protestantism."

... rinse and repeat.

Update: Patrick of Creative Minority Report satirizes this approach with brilliant results:

"Pope's Last Ditch Effort Cancelled"

Dateline Next Week — Sao Paolo Brazil.

When Pope Benedict XVI arrived in this sprawling city Wednesday for a five-day visit to the world's formerly most populous Roman Catholic country, he found that there were actually no Catholics left in Brazil.

It appears that the last remaining Catholics in the country converted to Pentecostalism during the Pontiff’s 11 hour flight.

The Pope’s entire visit had been planned as a last ditch effort aimed at keeping the last few remaining Catholics in Brazil from converting.

[Read the rest here].

Good. It's not just me seeing this kind of stuff in almost every article I read.

UglyWatch: Chapel at Fazenda Esperanca (to be visited by Pope Benedict?)

It's a Space Church/fortress of solitude on the inside:

(I hope they close-off the bottoms to keep critters out. Also, It was thoughtful of them to add a chimney at the top for when Pope Benedict uses all that incense.)

I can't decide if the outside is more "tepee-redux" or "the emporer's shuttle has landed":

... and please, Please, PLEASE tell me they aren't practicing for the procession of the gifts:

Reuters' photo description:

Workers carry on with the construction of a new chapel at the Fazenda Esperanca drug rehabilitation center before Pope Benedict's visit, in Guaratingueta, 170 km (105 miles) from Sao Paulo, May 3, 2007. Pope Benedict will visit Fazenda Esperanca during his trip to Brazil next week.

[3rd photo:] Recovering drug addicts rehearse a dance routine that they will present to Pope Benedict ...

Reading between the lines I don't think Pope Benedict will be using the chapel, and I hope I'm right. I don't think he'd like sitting in the presider's chair and feeling like Captain Kirk.

Pope Benedict in Brazil: One Week Away

Updates:

• Sunday: Benedict preparing to visit the "continent of hope"
• Media characterization of Benedict's visit to Brazil predicted

Original post: In one week's time (from May 9th-14th) Pope Benedict will visit the most populous Catholic nation on earth: Brazil.

It will be his most distant Apostolic journey by far, as is very evident from this map of the countries he has visited so far as Pontiff. AmericanPapist will be trying to give you the very best coverage St. Blogs has to offer. To help me do that, please feel free to email me links (especially to video and multimedia content). So, let's get to the expected highlights of Pope Benedict's visit:

• He will canonize the first Brazilian-born saint, Antonio Galvao.
• He will meet with President Luiz Inacio da Silva
• He will celebrate two open-air Masses, one expected to draw over 1 million people
• He will address 30,000 Catholic youth in the Pacaembu soccer stadium
• He will commence the once-a-decade meeting of the Latin America and Caribbean Episcopate

Important topics/issues in the spotlight:

• Stem cell research & abortion laws in Brazil [source]
• The inroads being made among Catholics in Brazil by evangelicals [source]

Other blogs covering the story:

• The Benedict Blog has excellent pre-coverage here.
• Update: Maria-Teresa kindly reminded me that the Papa Ratzinger Forum has a whole thread dedicated to this journey as well as another thread for texts, translations and pictures. Theirs is an excellent resource that I regularly use for my coverage.

Sources/news articles:

• Associated Press: Pope expected to draw 1 million-plus in Brazil
• Brazil has a website dedicated to the Pope's visit (in Portugese).
• CathNews: Pope prepares for Brazil
• CWNews: The Pope's travel itinerary as released by the Vatican
• CNS: Papal trip to Brazil turns spotlight on Latin America (perhaps the most comprehensive coverage thus far. A very good, albeit extended, read.)

The Pope has already demonstrated his ability and willingness to speak in Spanish and Portugese at this week's Wednesday audience. We should keep the 80-year-old Pontiff in our prayers as he prepares for his journey, and pray that the entire trip accomplishes the will of God.

I'll finish this post with a picture (credit: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia):

He's coming!

Upcoming Papal Trips (add your tips/links!)

Last year I put together a static page which attempted to pull together all the news and rumors regarding Pope Benedict's upcoming travel plans. Wikipedia has a page on this topic but it is rarely updated and contains few references.

Anyway, I'm going to start recompiling a list of my own, and you're invited to add information in the comment box below. This post will change as information gets better. And yes, it's messy to begin with but you have to start somewhere.... Thanks!

Pope Benedict's current travel plans include:

• May 9-14; Brazil. (more to follow)
• September 2007; Mariazell, Austria & Sibiu, Romania.
• July 15-20, 2008; WYD in Sydney, Australia.
• Likely: United States; the UN General Assembly meets in October, so October 2007 would be the earliest possible date, with a 2008/2009 date more likely.
• Likely: June 2008, Canada; rumors have circulated that he will attend Quebec City's 49th Eucharistic Congress
• Unlikely: He said he would visit China, but also said that the timing was up to God.
• Not happening: Early 2007; Israel for "peace day."
• Not happening: Anytime soon; England (contrary to UK tabloid reporting).
• Unlikely for now: Croatia, Jordan, and Puerto Rico have all invited him.

Wikipedia also has a page detailing Pope Benedict's past journeys.

CONFIRMED: Pope Benedict to visit United Nations

The Australian papers had it first by my count:

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Pope Benedict XVI has accepted his invitation to visit UN headquarters "at a mutually convenient time".

Mr Ban said today he had extended the invitation to the pope during his recent visit to Rome.

"I'm very much happy that he accepted my invitation to visit the United Nations," said Mr Ban after returning from a tour of Italy, Switzerland, Qatar and Syria.

The pope's predecessor, Pope John Paul II, visited UN headquarters in 1979 and in 1995 for the 40th anniversary of the institution.

This is big news. It means the Pope is coming to U.S. soil as early as next year.

Update: Thanks to Marketa (who by the way, wins the contest for coolest MySpace profile picture):

Thomas, it's official, look at first post of Teresa Benedetta:

VATICAN CITY, April 26 (APcom) - The Vatican confirms that Pope Benedict XVI has made himself 'available' an has in fact accepted the invitation of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moom to visit United Nations headquarters in New York.

Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press Office, confirmed today the Holy Father's acceptance but said a date has yet to be set.

He added, "It is not foreseeable in 2007, because no other foreign trips are planned this year."

There you have it!

Photos: Pope in Pavia!

Greeting students at the University of Pavia.
Meeting a professor at the Univesity of Pavia.
San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro basilica, before the remains of St. Augustine.
Cute Pope.
His speech at the University of Pavia.

(Curt Jester has a hilarious caption for this photo here.)

Pope Benedict praying before the remains of St. Augustine.

[photos: Photo/Antonio Calanni]

The Pope is Busy in Pavia This Weekend

Pope Benedict is in Pavia, northwestern Italy (south of Milan) this weekend, visiting the relics of St. Augustine and doing several other things. Sadly, I haven't found too much coverage of the trip around St. Blogs. So, let's fill-in the gap!

CWNews has a short summary of his trip. Here's what he's doing today:

On Sunday morning, April 22, the Holy Father will visit a medical clinic in Pavia, speaking to patients and staff there. He will celebrate Mass, and meet with university students and faculty before going to the basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro ("St. Peter in the Golden Sky"). Late in the afternoon he will return by helicopter to Milan, and from there by plane to Rome, arriving Sunday evening.

CNA adds a bit more:

Soon after his election to the pontificate on April 19, 2005, Benedict XVI was invited by Fr. Robert Prevost, Prior General of the Augustinian order, to come and venerate the remains of St. Augustine which are conserved in the Basilica of San Pietro in Cieldoro, in Pavia. Having accepted invitation, the Holy Father will visit the Basilica where he will light a votive candle before the Saint's casket in perennial memory of his visit.

The Pope will also bless the corner stone of the planned Augustinian cultural center, which the Order intends to dedicate to Benedict XVI, in honor of the strong spiritual and theological ties binding the Holy Father and the great Doctor of the Church.

Zenit's coverage here.

More relevant links:

• The texts of the Holy Father's speeches and address will be posted on the Vatican website here. They also promise pictures eventually.
• Blog-by-the-sea has a good post on this trip. She also has links to video coverage.
• The Papa Ratzinger Forum is doing a great job providing translations of the Pope's texts (scroll-down to find the ones from Pavia).
• Ignatius Insight has a very informative post on St. Augustine/Pope Benedict.

Update 3 (Monday headlines):

• Amy: Pope in Pavia
• Whispers in the Loggia: B16 in Pavia: Two Saints, Two Popes
• CWNews: Papal pilgrimage focuses on St. Augustine
• CNA: Benedict examines St. Augustine's path of conversion
• CWNews: On trip to Pavia, Pope underlines respect for life
• CNS: Pope calls St. Augustine 'model of conversion' for all Christians

Update 2: Zenit's coverage is now available:

• On Benedict XVI and St. Augustine - Interview With Father Rovert Prevost
• Augustine a Model of Conversion, Says Pontiff, Visits Tomb of Doctor of the Church
• Pope: Science Needs to Respect Life, Encourages Hospital Staff and Ill to Promote Values

Update: MSM coverage of his visit:

• AP: Pope: Medical advances must respect life
• AP: Pope Presses Campaign for Family

Here's an odd one ... Pope visits Italy's "Shoe City", gets 15,001 pairs - Reuters:

VIGEVANO, Italy (Reuters) - Pope Benedict got 15,001 pairs of shoes on Saturday.

During a visit to this northern city known as Italy's shoe capital, a local consortium gave one pair for himself and 15,000 more pairs for the needy around the world.

The Pope was given red loafers designed and manufactured by the Moreschi firm and made from kangaroo hide. [that shouldn't please the Italian animal-rights group that want Pope Benedict to give up his ermine-trimmed red velvet cape and papal hat - Zadok has more on that.]

Those destined for the poor include boots and other types of footwear. Local industrialists are due to send them directly to charities chosen by the
Vatican. [More...]

[photo: Photo/Andrew Medichini]

Excerpts from the Pope's speeches in Pavia

Some highlights that I've taken from the texts made available by the Papa Ratzinger Forum.

"From the remarks given by the Holy Father to the people of Vigevano, particularly the youth and the sick, from the balcony of the Bishop's Palace shortly after his arrival this afternoon":

... I am happy to be among you and I thank you for your heartwarming and festive welcome. Getting off the helicopter, I could almost hear the echo of all the bells that rung in unison at noon in all your churches as a greeting to me, and I thank you for that gesture of affection.

... Here at Vigevano, the only Lombard diocese not visited by my venerated predecessor John Paul II, I wished to begin my pastoral pilgrimage in Italy. It is like taking up where he left off in proclaiming to the men and women of our beloved Italy the news, ancient but ever new, that resounds with particular vigor during this Easter season: Christ is risen! Christ lives! Christ is with us today for always!

... I address a special thought to the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament whom I met shortly before arriving here - their prayerful presence constitutes for the entire diocese a perennial reminder to increasingly consider the importance of the Eucharist, center and summit of the life of the Church. To these dear sisters who have consecrated all their existence to the Lord, I send my encouragement and my appreciation.

...In a short while, when we shall all be reunited around the altar for the solemn Eucharistic concelebration, let us pray that the Risen Lord grant that this visit by the Successor of Peter may inspire in every member of your diocesan community a renewed spiritual fervor.

"From the homily delivered by the Holy Father during the Mass at Vigevano's Piazza Ducale" [this is a wondrous reflection on today's Gospel of John 21, obviously, I'm just pulling highpoints, I urge you to read it all!]:

... This time, he [Jesus] meets them at sea, a place that brings to mind the difficulties and tribulations of life. He meets them there as day breaks after futile work during the whole night. Their net was empty. In some way, this appears like the sum total of their experience with Jesus: they came to know Him, they were beside Him, and He had promised them so many things. And now, here they were with no fish in their net. But Jesus comes at dawn to meet them, although they do not recognize Him right away. The 'dawn' in the Bible often indicates a moment of extraordinary intervention by God.

... Dear brothers and sisters, may the Church in Vigevano repeat with John's enthusiasm: Jesus Christ "is the Lord' and may your diocesan commnity listen to the Lord who, through me, repeats to you: "Cast the net, church of Vigevano, and you will find." Indeed I have come among you to encourage you, above all, to be ardent witnesses for Christ. It is faithful adherence to His words that makes your pastoral efforts fruitful. Whenever the work in the vineyard of the Lord seems to be in vain, as was the nocturnal effort of the Apostles, you must not forget that Jesus can change everything in a moment. The Gospel page that we have heard reminds us, on the one hand, that we should commit ourselves totally to pastoral activities as though the outcome depended completely on our efforts. On the other hand, it makes us understand that the true success of our mission is totally a gift of grace. In the mysterious deisgns of His wisdom, God knows when He must intervene. Thus, just as obedient compliance to the words of the Lord filled their net with fish, so also, in all times, even ours, the Spoirit of the Lord can make the mission of the Church effective in the world.

... Obviously, I cannot omit expressing an affectionate thought for the seminarians who are the hope of the Diocese.

...Never extinguish in your hearts that missionary enthusiasm inspired in your diocesan commuinity by those providential sessions which had ardently hoped for a papal visit to Vigevano. Following the fundamental orientations of the Synod and the directives of your present Bishop, remain united among yourselves and open up to the vast horizons of evangelization.

... Finally, what must we say about the family? It is the fundamental element of social life, and only by working in the interests of the family can we renew the fabric of the ecclesiastical community and civic society itself. [All the newspaper reports say that the Pope's words on the family were greeted wieth great applause, which made him add, "I see that we are in agreement!"]

"The Holy Father arrived by helicopter in Pavia at 8 PM and proceeded to the Piazza del Duomo for a meeting with the diocesan youth. After welcome speeches by Mayor Piera CAPitelli and Justice Minister Clemente Mastella, who represented the Italian government, the Pope delivered this address, translated here":

... I come tonight to renew to you the news that is always fresh, to entrust to you a message which, when received, changes our existence, renews it and fills it. The Church proclaims this message with particular joy in this Easter period: Christ is risen and lives among us!

How many persons of your age, dear young people, have met Him and become His friends in the course of history. They followed Him faithfully and many gave witness of their love with their own lives!

Do not therefore be afraid to give your life to Christ: He never disappoints our expectations because He knows what is in our hearts.

"At 9 a.m. today, the Holy Father left the Bishop's Palace to visit the St. Matthew Polyclinic in Pavia, where he met with hospital officials, medical personnel adn patients in the internal courtyard. After a welcome from the hospital director and a representative of the patients, the Holy Father delivered the following remarks, translated here" [this speech has been receiving the most MSM attention, of course]:

... A hospital is a place which we could say is in some way 'sacred' - where one experiences the fragility of the human being, but also the enormous potential and ingenious resources of man and of technology in the service of life. The life of man! This great gift, no matter how much it has been explored, remains always a mystery.

... My sincere wish is that necessary scientific and technological progress be constantly accompanied by the awareness of promoting - along with the good of the patient - also those fundamental values like respect for and defense of life at every stage, on which the authentically human quality of any life depends.

[photo: AP Photo/Antonio Calanni]

Pope Benedict officially invited to New York and UN

CWNews puts it briefly:

Pope Benedict XVI met on April 18 with Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary General of the UN, who invited him to visit the New York headquarters of the international body.

In a brief statement about the Wednesday-evening meeting, the Vatican said that the 20-minute conversation had focused on cooperation between the Church and the UN. The Vatican statement acknowledged the UN official's invitation for a papal visit to headquarters in New York, but did not indicate the Pontiff's response.

Ban Ki-moon, a South Korean diplomat who succeeded Kofi Annan in January 2007 as Secretary General, was meeting with the Pope for the first time. He was accompanied by his wife.

CNA adds more.

Papa Benny looked very happy throughout the meeting so perhaps it went well:

Or maybe the birthday boy is just in a good mood.

Either way, if he's happy, we're happy.

[photo: REUTERS/Ettore Ferrari/Pool (VATICAN)]

CWNews: "Full schedule set for Pope's Brazil trip"

From CWNews:

Apr. 11, 2007 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican has released the full schedule for the pastoral visit by Pope Benedict XVI to Brazil on May 9- 14. [click here for it.]

Looks like it's just Brazil and back again. No visits to Central America or (although it was obviously a stretch) to the U.S.