Pope Benedict XVI: itinerary for Mexico and Cuba, 2012
Below, please find our unofficial English translations of the press releases issued
Monday, January 2nd, by the Bishops' Conference of Mexico and the Bishops' Conference
of Cuba, detailing the itinerary of Pope Benedict XVI's scheduled visit to each country
in March of this year.
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Press Release
concerning the visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico
On December
12th, 2011, His Holiness Benedict XVI announced his intention to undertake
an apostolic journey to Mexico and Cuba, before Easter 2012.
Following consultations
with the Government of the United Mexican States and the Mexican Bishops’ Conference,
and after detailed study by those responsible for the Pope's travels, in conjunction
with federal authorities and members of the government of Guanajuato state, the Holy
Father approved the program that was submitted and will be verified as follows:
The
Holy Father will travel on Friday March 23rd, 2012, from the city of Rome
to the airport in Leon, Guanajuato, where he will be officially received by the President
of Mexico, Felipe Calderon, by the Archbishop of Leon, José Martín, and by representatives
of the Mexican Bishops’ Conference.
During his stay in Mexico will be staying
at the residence of the Sisters of Miraflores College in Leon.
On Saturday
evening, March 24th, The Holy Father will have an official meeting with
President Felipe Calderon and his delegation at the Conde Rul House, the seat of the
State Government of Guanajuato. Finally the Holy Father will greet and bless children
and all the faithful gathered in Guanajuato’s La Paz square.
On the morning
of Sunday March 25th, the Holy Father will be preside at Mass in Bicentennial
Park in the municipality of Silao, at the foot of Cubilete Hill, atop which stands
the monument to Christ the King. Representatives of the faithful of the 91 dioceses
of Mexico will be present.
On the afternoon of March 25th, the Holy
Father, will celebrate Vespers in the Leon cathedral and deliver a message to all
the Bishops of Mexico and other representatives of the Bishops’ Conferences of Latin
America and the Caribbean.
On the morning of March 26th, the highest
civil and religious authorities of Mexico will farewell the Holy Father at Leon airport,
before he departs for Cuba.
Press release of the Conference of Catholic
Bishops of Cuba with regard to the visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
Pope
Benedict XVI, having been invited by Cuba’s President Raúl Castro and the Conference
of Catholic Bishops of Cuba, has approved the program prepared by organizers of the
Papal trip together with Cuban authorities and Catholic Bishops' Conference of Cuba.
The program, from March 26th – 28th, 2012, has been fixed as
follows:
On March 26th, the Holy Father will travel from Mexico
to the City of Santiago de Cuba, where he will be officially received by President
Raul Castro, by the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Cuba and by the Archbishop of
Santiago, Dionisio Guillermo García Ibáñez. Following the official welcome, in the
early hours of the afternoon, the Holy Father will be taken to the residence of Archbishop
of Santiago de Cuba.
At sunset, the Holy Father will celebrate Mass in Antonio
Maceo Revolution Square to mark the Solemnity of the Annunciation. At the conclusion
of Mass the Holy Father will head to El Cobre where he will stay in residence for
priests.
On the morning of March 27th, the Pope shall make a private
visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity to pray for a few minutes before the much-venerated
image of the Virgin there. After this, the Pope will go to the airport for a flight
from Santiago de Cuba to Havana.
At noon the Pope is scheduled to arrive at
the José Martí airport in Havana, where he will be welcomed by Havana’s Archbishop,
Cardinal Jaime Ortega, by the auxiliary bishops and other religious and civil authorities.
The Pope’s conveyance will then proceed to the Vatican embassy where he will stay.
In the afternoon, Pope Benedict XVI will visit President Raul Castro for an official
meeting. At dusk, the Holy Father will meet in the Nunciature with all the Catholic
Bishops of Cuba.
On the morning of March 28th, Pope Benedict XVI
will preside at Mass in José Martí Revolution Square. After the celebration, the Pope
will return to the Apostolic Nunciature. He will leave from there in the afternoon
for José Martì airport where there will be an official farewell ceremony ahead of
his departure. Listen