NEWS ABOUT BENEDICT

BUT HE WILL NOT BE AT THE INTER-RELIGIOUS PRAYER


PASTORAL VISIT TO NAPLES, October 21, 2007


Here is a news update translated from PETRUS today about the Holy Father's pastoral visit to Naples on October 21, a Sunday:


Pope Benedict VXI will meet other religious leaders, including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I and Metropolitan Kirill from the patriarchate of Moscow, when he goes to Naples on October 21.


Cardinal Sepe with the Pope in a recent visit.

Cardinal Cresencio Sepe, Archbishop of Naples, confirmed this today in an interview with Vatican Radio.

The Pope's pastoral visit to southern Italy's largest city coincides with the annual Inter-Religious Prayer Meeting for Peace sponsored by the Sant'Egidio community in a different city every year. It begins on Sunday, October 21, and will go on for two more days.

The meeting is patterned after the first Assisi inter-religious prayer meeting in 1987, but without the participation of the Pope. (Pope John Paul, whose original idea it was, took part in 1987 and 2000, which was also held in Assisi.]

Cardinal Sepe said the Pope would meet with the leaders of Christian churches and other religions after the Mass at the city's Piazza del Plebiscito.

"The Holy Father will arrive in Naples around 9:30 a.m., and after being greeted at the port by civil and religious authorities, he will proceed directly to the Piazza for the 10 o'clock Mass, which will be concelebrated with the cardinals and bishops of the region as well as visiting prelates. After the Mass, the pope will also lead the recital of the Angelus. He will then proceed to the Major Seminary at Capodimonte for a meeting and lunch with the heads of all the delegations to the Inter-Religious Meeting," Sepe said.

Other ranking Christian leaders expected, according to the Cardinal, are the Archbishop of Cyprus, the Patriarch of the Armenian Church and other ranking Orthodox Patriarchs.

After a brief rest, the Pope will venerate the remains of San Gennaro (St. Januarius), patron saint of Naples, at the Cathedral of Naples, then return to Rome at 5 p.m.