Coming to America

I'll be going to this if at all possible, obviously. Byzantine Catholics will of course be upset that he is not coming to the Fourth Rome aka Pittsburgh, PA.

Washington DC, Sep 17, 2007 / 10:15 am (CNA).- Details about Pope Benedict XVI’s much-anticipated apostolic journey to the United States next year have begun to emerge. Anticipated stops for the Pope’s first-ever US visit include, New York, Washington, Boston and possibly Baltimore.

The tentatively scheduled April 15 to 20 trip is centered around a papal speech before the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon personally invited the pontiff to address the UN.

Among other events in New York, the Pope is expected to celebrate Mass at Central Park, give an address in St. Patrick's Cathedral, and take a moment of reflection at Ground Zero.

The trip, however, will begin in Washington, where the Pope is expected to meet with the president, visit Catholic University of America and say Mass on the National Mall.

The last stop is Boston, where he is expected to address the sexual abuse scandal. His visit there would end with a Mass on Boston Common.