Vatican says nearly 3.4 million attended events in pope's second year

Published: 2007-04-16

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In the second year of Pope Benedict XVI's pontificate, almost 3.4 million people participated in his weekly general audiences, group audiences, liturgies and the recitation of the Angelus on Sundays and holy days. The Prefecture of the Pontifical Household, headed by U.S. Archbishop James M. Harvey, published the data April 14 in anticipation of the April 19 anniversary of the pope's election. It said that from late April 2006 through early April 2007, more than 1 million people attended the pope's Wednesday general audiences, while more than 350,000 people joined special groups granted a papal audience. More than half a million people participated in papal liturgies at the Vatican and in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, the prefecture said. And 1.46 million people joined the pope for the Sunday recitation of the Angelus in St. Peter's Square or in the courtyard of the papal summer villa at Castel Gandolfo.

Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .