Pope's calendar in 2008 confirms life doesn't slow down after 80

Published: 2007-12-28

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- As Pope Benedict XVI looks at his 2008 calendar, he's no doubt recognizing that life doesn't slow down after 80. With three foreign trips, a world Synod of Bishops on the Bible, a jubilee year dedicated to St. Paul, an important dialogue with Muslims, and an encyclical and a new book in the works, 2008 is shaping up as perhaps the busiest year of his pontificate. The pope will celebrate his 81st birthday in Washington April 16, the day he's scheduled to meet with U.S. President George W. Bush at the White House and with U.S. bishops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. There's bound to be a birthday cake somewhere along the way. The April 15-20 trip to the United States and the United Nations will be the pope's first journey outside Italy in 2008. In Washington, the pope also is expected to say Mass in the Nationals' baseball stadium and hold meetings with educators and interreligious leaders. In New York, in addition to his U.N. visit, the pope's tentative schedule includes a meeting with ecumenical representatives, Mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral, an encounter with seminarians, a visit to ground zero and Mass in Yankee Stadium.

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