Clear the calendar: For pope, everything stops for Lenten retreat

Published: 2006-03-10

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- For 51 weeks each year, the pope preaches, teaches, meets and writes -- even when supposedly on vacation. But during the first full week of Lent, he clears his schedule and goes on retreat. Seriously. While top officials of the Roman Curia keep their schedules light so they can participate in the pope's Lenten retreat, the pope is the only retreatant whose presence is guaranteed each morning and each evening. For more than 30 years, the papal Lenten retreat has followed the same basic pattern: morning, midday and evening prayer, eucharistic adoration and Benediction. But the centerpiece of the weeklong retreat is the set of 22 half-hour talks given by a guest preacher between the set prayer times. For his first Lenten retreat as pope, Pope Benedict XVI asked retired Cardinal Marco Ce of Venice to give the talks March 5-11.

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