VATICAN CITY – During his visit to Austria, Pope Benedict XVI plans to stop at a Holocaust memorial in Vienna and to celebrate the 850th anniversary of Austria’s most important Marian shrine in Mariazell.
The pope also will meet with political leaders, speak with priests and religious men and women, visit the ancient Cistercian Abbey of the Holy Cross outside Vienna, and meet with volunteers from Catholic and civil organizations.
The Vatican Aug. 3 released the official schedule of the pope’s Sept. 7-9 visit to Austria. It will be the seventh foreign trip of his pontificate.
After his arrival in Vienna, the pope will pray at a 17th-century monument marking a victory of the Catholic Habsburgs during the Thirty Years’ War and stop at a Holocaust memorial in Jews’ Square.
He will meet the country’s president and diplomats in the Hofburg Palace.
Pope Benedict will celebrate Mass Sept. 8 outside the basilica of the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariazell, 80 miles southwest of Vienna, and lunch with Austria’s bishops. He will hold an evening prayer service with priests, deacons and members of religious orders.
The pope will lead a procession in Vienna Sept. 9 and celebrate Mass in the city’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral, after which he will recite the Angelus prayer in the square outside the cathedral.
He will visit the 12th-century Cistercian Abbey of the Holy Cross outside Vienna and meet with volunteers before returning to Rome.
Here is the schedule for the pope’s trip as released by the Vatican. Times listed are local, with Eastern Daylight Time in parentheses.
Friday, Sept. 7 (Rome, Vienna)
– 9:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m.) Departure from Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport.
– 11:15 a.m. (5:15 a.m.) Arrival at Vienna-Schwechat International Airport. Welcoming ceremony. Speech by the pope.
– 12 p.m. (6:00 a.m.) Transfer in car to Am Hof Square in Vienna.
– 12:45 p.m. (6:45 a.m.) Arrival at Am Hof Square. Prayer and greeting by the pope at the Column of Our Lady.
– 1:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m.) Transfer in popemobile to Jews’ Square in Vienna.
– 1:35 p.m. (7:35 a.m.) Stop at the Holocaust memorial in Jews’ Square.
– 1:40 p.m. (7:40 a.m.) Transfer in popemobile from Jews’ Square to apostolic nunciature in Vienna.
– 1:50 p.m. (7:50 a.m.) Arrival at apostolic nunciature.
– 5:15 p.m. (11:15 a.m.) Transfer by car from apostolic nunciature to Vienna’s Hofburg Palace.
– 5:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m.) Courtesy visit to Austrian President Heinz Fischer in the Hofburg Palace. Meeting with political leaders and members of the diplomatic corps in the Hofburg Palace. Speech by the pope.
– 6:45 p.m. (12:45 p.m.) Transfer by car from Hofburg Palace to apostolic nunciature.
– 7 p.m. (1 p.m.) Arrival at the apostolic nunciature in Vienna.
Saturday, Sept. 8 (Vienna, Mariazell, Vienna)
– 8 a.m. (2 a.m.) Transfer by car from apostolic nunciature to Vienna’s Heldenplatz.
– 8:15 a.m. (2:15 a.m.) Departure by helicopter to Mariazell.
– 9:15 a.m. (3:15 a.m.) Arrival at heliport in Mariazell.
– 9:25 a.m. (3:25 a.m.) Transfer by popemobile to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariazell.
– 9:45 a.m. (3:45 a.m.) Arrival at the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariazell.
– 10:30 a.m. (4:30 a.m.) Mass in the square outside the shrine’s basilica. Homily by the pope.
– 12:30 p.m. (6:30 a.m.) Return to sacristy in the basilica.
– 1:30 p.m. (7:30 a.m.) Lunch with Austrian bishops’ conference, guests in Mariazell.
– 4:40 p.m. (10:40 a.m.) Pope walks to the basilica of Mariazell.
– 4:45 p.m. (10:45 a.m.) Marian vespers with priests, deacons, religious and seminarians in the basilica of Mariazell. Speech by the pope.
– 6 p.m. (12 p.m.) Transfer by car to heliport of Mariazell.
– 6:20 p.m. (12:20 p.m.) Arrival at heliport of Mariazell.
– 6:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m.) Departure by helicopter for Vienna.
– 7:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m.) Arrival at heliport at Heldenplatz and transfer by car to the apostolic nunciature in Vienna.
– 7:50 p.m. (1:50 p.m.) Arrival at the apostolic nunciature in Vienna.
Sunday, Sept. 9 (Vienna, Heiligenkreuz, Vienna, Rome)
– 9:15 a.m. (3:15 a.m.) Transfer by car from apostolic nunciature to archbishop’s residence.
– 9:30 a.m. (3:30 a.m.) Arrival at the archbishop’s residence.
– 9:45 a.m. (3:45 a.m.) Procession from archbishop’s residence to St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna.
– 10 a.m. (4 a.m.) Mass inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Homily by the pope. After Mass, recital of the Angelus and talk by the pope.
– 12:15 p.m. (6:15 a.m.) Walk from cathedral to archbishop’s residence.
– 2 p.m. (8 a.m.) Transfer by car from archbishop’s residence to apostolic nunciature.
– 4 p.m. (10 a.m.) Transfer by car to the Cistercian Abbey of the Holy Cross in Heiligenkreuz.
– 4:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m.) Visit to the abbey. Speech by the pope.
– 5 p.m. (11 a.m.) Transfer by car to Vienna’s Konzerthaus concert hall.
– 5:30 p.m. (11:30 a.m.) Arrival at Vienna’s concert hall. Meeting with volunteers from Catholic and civil groups. Speech by the pope.
– 6:45 p.m. (12:45 p.m.) Transfer by car to Vienna’s international airport.
– 7:15 p.m. (1:15 p.m.) Arrival at airport. Farewell ceremony. Speech by the pope.
– 7:45 p.m. (1:45 p.m.) Departure for Rome.
– 9:30 p.m. (3:30 p.m.) Arrival at Rome’s Ciampino airport.