December 30, 2011. (Romereports.com) The Vatican already knows that 2012 will be full of events, traveling, canonizations and key anniversaries.

In the month of February, Benedict XVI will become the sixth oldest pope in history. Just two months later, on April 16th, he'll turn 85 years old. On the 19th of April, he'll celebrate the 7th anniversary of his election.

A total of 13 cardinals will turn 80 in 2012, meaning they'll lose their voting power in an eventual conclave. Some of them had an important role in the last papal election, including cardinal Saraiva Martins, Francis Arinze and James Stafford. There's also Cardinal Joseph Zen, who has been key in promoting religious freedom in China.

That would leave only 96 cardinals with voting power in a papal election. Because of this, it's likely that Benedict XVI could name at least 15 new cardinals in February.  

In the travel section, the Pope will visit Mexico and Cuba in March.  Furthermore, it appears that in September he'll make a visit to Lebanon.

In June, the pope will go to Milan in northern Italy for World Meeting of Families, where hundreds of thousands of people are expected.

The month of October will be key during 2012. This month, the pope will canonize new saints. They include Kateri Tekakwitha, who is also the first Native American woman to be raised to the altars. Also on the list is Sister Marianne Cope, who helped father Damien of Molokai, to care for leprosy patients. There's also Pedro Calungsod, a teenage martyr will become the second saint of his native Philippines. He was killed in 1672 while defending missionaries.

The pope will probably appoint at least two new Doctors of the Church. Among them is Spanish priest St. John of Avila and also Hildegard of Bingen. The German nun is mostly known for her religious visions.

October 11th of 2012, marks 50 years since Vatican II was first established. Also on that day, the so called “Year of Faith,” will begin. The initiative is meant to promote the New Evangelization in the West. More than likely, the pope will publish a document on this topic, which will probably be an encyclical.

The synod on the New Evangelization will also take place during that month. It will give bishops from all over the world, an opportunity to exchange ideas on how to promote Christianity in the West.

Probably before the month of November, the pope will release the third and final volume of his book “Jesus of Nazareth,” which deals with the childhood of Christ. The pope has been working on this book since 2004. The goal is to show that the Jesus referred to in the Gospels truly existed and was indeed God.


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