Pope's trip to Australia to take 10 days, including three for rest

Published: 2008-05-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI will spend 10 days on his July trip to World Youth Day in Australia, including three days of rest to recover from jet lag, the Vatican said. The pope will depart Rome July 12 and return July 21, according to a Vatican calendar released April 30. He is scheduled to participate in a welcoming ceremony in Sydney July 17 and other World Youth Day events July 18-20. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, told Catholic News Service that the pope would arrive in Australia early so that he could have "three days of rest, without doing absolutely anything." In this way, the spokesman said, the 81-year-old pope could absorb the effects of the trip from Rome, which crosses nine time zones. The total flight time is expected to be about 20 hours. The Vatican has not said whether Pope Benedict will make other stops on his trip to Australia, which will be the longest in time and distance of his pontificate.

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