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Skriven 2005-07-20 10:58:44 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                The following press release is Copyrighted by the
                          Vatican Information Service.
                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                               VIS-Press releases

OFFICIAL PROGRAM OF APOSTOLIC TRIP TO COLOGNE

VATICAN CITY, JUL 20, 2005 (VIS) - Made public today was the official program
of Benedict XVI's apostolic trip to Cologne, Germany, from August 18 to 21 for
the 20th World Youth Day.

The Pope will depart from Rome's Ciampino airport at 10 a.m. on Thursday,
August 18, and is due to arrive at the international airport of Cologne/Bonn at
midday. Following a welcome ceremony he will travel by car to the archbishopric
of Cologne. In the afternoon he will go to the Rodenkirchenbrucke wharf, whence
a boat will take him along the river Rhine to the Rheinwiesen wharf where he
will be welcomed by young people. The Holy Father will then travel back by boat
to the city of Cologne where he will visit the cathedral.

On Friday, August 19, the Pope will celebrate a private Mass in the
archbishopric of Cologne before travelling by car to Villa Hammerschmidt in
Bonn where, at 10.30 a.m., he is scheduled to pay a courtesy visit to Horst
Kohler, president of the Federal Republic of Germany. At midday he is due to
visit the synagogue in Cologne and at 1 p.m. will return to the archbishopric
for lunch with a group of young people. At 5 p.m. he is due to meet seminarians
at the church of St. Pantaleon in Cologne and will then return to the
archbishopric to participate in an ecumenical meeting.

On Saturday, August 20, having again celebrated a private Mass in the
archbishopric, the Holy Father will receive in audience various political and
civil leaders: Gerhard Schroeder, federal chancellor; Wolfgang Thierse,
president of the parliament; Angela Merkel, president of the CDU (Christian
Democratic Union); Jurgen Ruttgers, minister president of North Rhine
Westphalia, and a number of local authorities. At 6 p.m. he will meet
representatives of Muslim communities. Later he will travel by car to the large
open grounds of Marienfeld where he will join young people in a vigil due to
last until 10.30 p.m.

At Marienfeld, at 10 a.m. on Sunday, August 21, Benedict XVI will celebrate
Mass then pray the Angelus. After lunch in the archbishopric he will go on foot
to the "Piussaal" of the seminary of Cologne where he will meet the bishops of
the German Episcopal Conference. Later, and after having greeted members of the
organizing committee of WYD 2005, he will travel by car to the international
airport of Cologne/Bonn where the departure ceremony is due to be held at 6.45
p.m. The Pope will then board his aircraft and return to Rome, arriving at
around 21.15 p.m.

For the occasion of Benedict XVI's visit to Germany, some statistics concerning
the Catholic Church in that country are given below:

Germany has 82,520,000 inhabitants of whom 27,411,000 are Catholics, around
33.2% of the total. There are currently 105 bishops, 18,826 priests, 36,323
religious and 3,561 seminarians.

The Catholic Church in Germany runs 10,307 educational institutes including
nursery, primary and secondary schools and universities, with a total of more
than 959,000 students. She also directs 536 hospitals, 1,359 clinics, 2,588
homes for the elderly and disabled, 1,298 orphanages and creches, 2.030 centers
for the family and the protection of life, and 1,331 special centers for social
education and re-education.
BXVI-PROGRAM/APOSTOLIC TRIP/COLOGNE VIS 050720 (550)

SUMMARY

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