Programme of Pope's visit to Germany

Source: VIS

From September 9 to 14, Pope Benedict XVI will make his second apostolic trip to Germany, the first having been in August 2005 when he travelled to Cologne for World Youth Day.

The forthcoming visit will be divided into three stages: Munich, Altotting and Regensburg. The Holy Father will depart from Ciampino airport outside Rome at 1.45pm on Saturday, and is due to land at 3.30pm in Munich's Franz Joseph Strauss airport, where a welcome ceremony will take place. That evening he will participate in a moment of prayer before the Column of the Virgin in Munich's Marienplatz before travelling by popemobile to the Residenz palace where he will pay a courtesy visit to the president of the Federal Republic of Germany. He will also meet the federal chancellor and the minister-president of Bavaria. Later he will travel to the palace of the archbishop of Munich, where he will spend the night.

On Sunday, the Holy Father is to celebrate Mass on the square in front of the Neue Messe in Munich. After lunch in the archbishop's palace, he will go to the cathedral of Munich where he will preside at the celebration of Vespers. On Monday, the Pope will travel by helicopter to the Marian shrine of Altotting where, at 10.30am, he will celebrate the Eucharist, after which a procession with the Blessed Sacrament and a statue of the Virgin is scheduled to take place from the shrine to the new Chapel of Adoration, which will thus be inaugurated.

Following lunch at the convent of St Mary Magdalene in Altotting, at 5pm he will participate in Marian Vespers with religious and seminarians of Bavaria in the basilica of St Ann in Altotting. The Pope will later travel by car to his home village of Marktl am Inn, where he will visit the parish church of St Oswald.

That evening he will fly by helicopter to the city of Regensburg where, on arrival, he will travel to the major seminary of St Wolfgang to spend the night. Next Tuesday, he will celebrate Mass on Regensburg's Islinger Field. Then, following lunch at the seminary, he will meet with representatives from the world of science in the Great Hall of the University of Regensburg. Later, he will preside at an ecumenical celebration of Vespers in the city's cathedral.

On Wednesday, Benedict XVI will celebrate a private Mass at the seminary before going on to bless the new organ of Regensburg's Alte Kapelle where his brother, Mgr Georg Ratzinger, used to be director. He will then visit his brother's house and lunch with him. Later, he will travel to the Ziegetzdorf cemetery where his parents and sister are buried. On Thursday, the Holy Father will travel by helicopter to Freising where, at 10.45am he will meet with priests and permanent deacons of Bavaria in the cathedral of Sts Mary and Corbinian.

After this final meeting, the Pope will travel by car to Franz Joseph Strauss airport where the departure ceremony will be held. The papal plane will take off at 12.45pm and is due to arrive in Rome at 2.30 pm. From the airport of Ciampino, the Pope will travel back to his summer residence at Castelgandolfo.