WASHINGTON - 16 April 2008 - 120 words
Pope meets Bush, Vespers with Bishops
This morning the Pope, who celebrates
his 81st birthday today, celebrated a private Mass in the chapel
of the apostolic nunciature in Washington D.C.
At 10.10am local time Benedict XVI travelled by car to the White
House for the welcome ceremony, during which he was scheduled
to deliver an address and, subsequently, to hold a private meeting
with President George Bush.
The Holy Father will have lunch with American cardinals and with
the president, vice-president and secretary general of the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), respectively Cardinal
Francis E George OMI., Bishop Gerald Kicanas and Mgr David Malloy.
At 4.45pm local time he will meet with leaders of five charitable
organisations: the Knights of Columbus, the Patrons of the Arts,
Centesimus Annus Pro Pontefice, the Papal Foundation and the Franciscan
Foundation for the Holy Land.
At 5.30 pm local time (11.30 p.m. in Rome) the Holy Father will
go to Washington's National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
where he will preside at the celebration of Vespers with United
States bishops.
Following the ceremony, the Pope will return to the apostolic
nunciature in Washington DC, where he will dine in private and
spend the night.
Keep up with the latest live reports of the Pope's visit
to the USA on: uspapalvisit.org
© Independent Catholic News 2008
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