VATICAN CITY – Published just a month before Pope Benedict XVI’s scheduled arrival in the United States, the Vatican’s official program for the April 15-20 papal trip to Washington and New York was all that had been promised and a tiny bit more.
In addition to the previously announced meetings, Pope Benedict will hold a brief meeting April 16 with representatives of Catholic charitable foundations.
The papal itinerary, published March 17 by the Vatican, also includes a lunch April 16 and a dinner April 18 with the U.S. cardinals, the officers of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and members of the papal entourage.
In addition, the Vatican said the pope and his entourage would have a luncheon April 19 with Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York and the New York auxiliary bishops at Cardinal Egan’s residence.
The Vatican itinerary also contained some indications of how people who did not get tickets to either the April 17 Mass at Nationals Park in Washington or the April 20 Mass in New York’s Yankee Stadium could see the pope.
In Washington April 16 the pope is planning to go by popemobile from the White House to the apostolic nunciature on Massachusetts Avenue. The same evening, he will switch from a car to the popemobile on his way from the nunciature to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
After meeting representatives of Catholic universities and diocesan education offices April 17 at The Catholic University of America, he will use the popemobile to cover the short distance to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.
In New York, the pope is scheduled to use the popemobile only once, April 19, to go from Cardinal Egan’s residence to the residence of the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations.
Here is the program as published by the Vatican. All times are local unless otherwise indicated.
Tuesday, April 15 (Rome, Washington)
– Noon (6 a.m. EDT). Departure from Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport for Washington.
– 4 p.m. Arrival at Andrews Air Force Base. Private welcome by President George W. Bush and Laura Bush.
– 4:14 p.m. Transfer by car to the apostolic nunciature in Washington.
Wednesday, April 16
– Morning Mass in private in the chapel of the nunciature (no time given).
– 10:10 a.m. Transfer by car to the White House.
– 10:30 a.m. Welcoming ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House. Speech by pope, followed by a courtesy visit with the president in the Oval Office.
– Noon. Transfer by popemobile to the nunciature.
– 1 p.m. Lunch with the U.S. cardinals, officers of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the papal entourage at the nunciature.
– 4:45 p.m. Greeting representatives of Catholic charitable foundations at the nunciature.
– 5 p.m. Transfer by car and then by popemobile to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
– 5:45 p.m. Celebration of vespers and meeting with the bishops of the United States in the basilica. Speech by pope.
– 7:30 p.m. Transfer by car to the nunciature.
Thursday, April 17
– 9 a.m. Transfer by car from the nunciature to Nationals Park.
– 10 a.m. Mass in Nationals Park. Homily by pope.
– 12:15 p.m. Transfer by car to the nunciature.
– 4:40 p.m. Transfer by car to The Catholic University of America.
– 5 p.m. Meeting with representatives of Catholic universities at The Catholic University of America. Speech by pope.
– 6:15 p.m. Transfer by popemobile to the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.
– 6:30 p.m. Meeting with representatives of other religions in the rotunda of the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center.
– 7:30 p.m. Transfer by car to the nunciature.
Friday, April 18 (Washington, New York)
– Morning Mass in private in the chapel of the nunciature.
– 7:50 a.m. Farewell to those at the nunciature.
– 8 a.m. Transfer by car to Andrews Air Force Base.
– 8:45 a.m. Departure by air to New York.
– 9:45 a.m. Arrival at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
– 10 a.m. Transfer by helicopter to Manhattan.
– 10:30 a.m. Arrival at the Wall Street heliport and transfer by car to the United Nations headquarters.
– 10:45 a.m. Visit to the United Nations. Speech by the pope to the U.N. General Assembly followed by greetings to the staff and personnel.
– 1:45 p.m. Transfer by car to the residence of the Vatican’s permanent observer to the United Nations.
– 5:45 p.m. Transfer by car to St. Joseph’s Church in New York.
– 6 p.m. Ecumenical meeting in St. Joseph’s Church. Speech by pope.
– 7:15 p.m. Transfer by car to the permanent observer’s residence.
– 7:30 p.m. Dinner with the U.S. cardinals, the officers of the U.S. bishops’ conference and members of the papal entourage.
Saturday, April 19
– 8:45 a.m. Transfer by car to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
– 9:15 a.m. Mass with priests, men and women religious in St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Homily by pope.
– 11:30 a.m. Transfer on foot to the residence of the archbishop of New York.
– Noon. Lunch with Cardinal Edward M. Egan of New York, the auxiliary bishops of the archdiocese and the papal entourage.
– 1:15 p.m. Transfer by popemobile to the residence of the permanent observer.
– 4 p.m. Transfer by car to St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers.
– 4:30 p.m. Meeting with young people and with seminarians at St. Joseph Seminary. Speech by pope.
– 6:30 p.m. Transfer by car to the permanent observer’s residence.
Sunday, April 20 (New York, Rome)
– 9:10 a.m. Transfer by car to ground zero.
– 9:30 a.m. Visit to ground zero. Prayer by pope.
– 10 a.m. Transfer by car to the permanent observer’s residence.
– 1:50 p.m. Transfer by car to Yankee Stadium.
– 2:30 p.m. Mass in Yankee Stadium. Homily by pope.
– 4:45 p.m. Transfer by car to the permanent observer’s residence.
– 7 p.m. Transfer by car to the Wall Street heliport.
– 7:20 p.m. Arrival at the Wall Street heliport.
– 7:30 p.m. Transfer by helicopter to John F. Kennedy International Airport.
– 8 p.m. Arrival at airport for farewell ceremony. Speech by pope.
– 8:30 p.m. Departure for Rome.
Monday, April 21 (Rome)
–10:45 a.m. (4:45 a.m. EDT). Arrival at Rome’s Ciampino airport.