Pope to visit Palermo in early October

(Sept.22, 2010) The Vatican has confirmed plans for a visit by Pope Benedict XVI to the Sicilian capital of Palermo in Italy, on October 3. A Vatican communiqué said the Pope will make the day-long trip to participate in a regional meeting of Catholic families and youth. It said the Pontiff will preside over an outdoor morning Mass in the Foro Italico Umberto I, and follow it with the midday angelus prayer. The same evening, the Pope will meet with priests, religious and seminarians in Palermo's cathedral. Soon after, the Pope will address young people in the city’s famous Politeama Square. Pope Benedict will conclude his visit at the Punta Raisi Airport in Sicily, from where he will return to Rome.
At a recent press conference, Archbishop Paolo Romeo of Palermo said: "We want to present to the Holy Father and to the whole world, the true face of Sicily, which is not at all just about the garbage emergency, the Mafia and social problems, but about a history that our saints have marked."
Pope John Paul II visited the island in 1982 and 1995. The Palermo visit will be Pope Benedict XVI’s fourth pastoral visit within Italy this year. His other visits included Turin, Sulmona and Carpineto Romano.