Pope Benedict XVI to Visit Pope Leo XIII's Birthplace

(July 29, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI is planning to visit Carpineto Romano, the birthplace of Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci, who became Pope Leo XIII. The Pope will make the visit on September 5 to mark the bicentenary of his predecessor's birth. The Pontiff will arrive by helicopter at 8:45 a.m. from Castel Gandolfo, where he is spending the summer. The Holy Father will be received by Bishop Lorenzo Loppa of Anagni-Alatri, the mayor and other authorities after he lands in the local Galeotti stadium. The Pope will then celebrate Mass in Monti Lepini Square, in the centre of Carpineto Romano. He will greet some 30 persons representing the local citizens, and then return by helicopter for lunch at Castel Gandolfo. It will be the third visit of a contemporary Pope to this small Italian town of less than 5,000 inhabitants. The first was Pope Paul VI, who made the trip on September 11, 1966, at the conclusion of the 75th anniversary of the publication of the encyclical "Rerum Novarum," which was authored by Pope Leo XIII. Later, on September 1, 1991, Pope John Paul II also visited Carpineto Romano to commemorate the centenary of the publication of that encyclical. He also celebrated Mass in the Monti Lepini Square. Pope Leo XIII was not only known for the first great Christian social encyclical, "Rerum Novarum," which has significantly marked the teaching of subsequent Popes, but he also contributed to an important opening to the scientific world and a difficult endeavour of diplomatic mediation in conflicts between countries.