January 4, 2010. Pope Benedict XVI scheduled trips for 2010 are already set in stone.


The pope will travel thousands of kilometers to meet Catholics and non-Catholics around the world.

His first stop of 2010 will be the island of Malta in mid-April. There Benedict XVI will commemorate the 1950 anniversary of St. Paul’s shipwreck.

In May, Benedict XVI will visit Turin in northern Italy to pray before the Holy Shroud. From the 11th to the 14th he’ll be in Portugal, where he’ll visit Lisbon, Porto and Fatima. It’s been 93 years since Virgin Mary’s first apparition to the 3 shepherds. It will be the fifth time a pope will visit the sanctuary.

Cyprus will be Benedict XVI next stop in June. He will be there for only two days but they will be very intense since he will be gearing up for the special Synod for the Middle East which will take place in Rome in October.

In September, he will visit the United Kingdom. A historic visit since he will most likely visit the place where of Thomas More and three other Catholic martyrs were killed. He will also attend a conference at Oxford. According to the English press, Benedict XVI will beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman during his trip, at Wembley Stadium.


The pope will close 2010 in southern Italy in the city of Palermo, where he will take part in a regional conference with families and youth.

BR/MC
-WP-