The Vatican has released the official schedule for the September 7-9 trip to Austria by Pope Benedict XVI.The Holy Father will have a full schedule, including two public Masses, during the weekend trip. The highlight of the visit will be the Pope's visit to the Mariazell shrine, which is celebrating its 850th anniversary.
The Pope will leave Rome's Ciampino airport on Friday morning, September 7, for the flight to Vienna, arriving there at 11:15.
After an aiport welcoming ceremony, he will take the "popemobile" into Vienna at midday, stopping in the Am Hof square to lead the Angelus and offer his greetings to the Austrian public.
From there the Pope will continue to the Juden Platz, to pray at a memorial to Austrian victims of the Holocaust. Then he will proceed to the residence of the apostolic nunciature, where he will be staying for the weekend.
On Friday evening the Pope will make a courtesy call on Austria's President Heinz Fischer at the Hofburg Palace, then meet there with members of the diplomatic corps, before returning to the nunciature for the night.
On Saturday morning the Pontiff will take a helicopter to Mariazell, where he will celebrate Mass for the feast of the birth of the Virgin Mary. The basilica at Mariazell is the country's most renowned Marian shrine, drawing over 1 million pilgrims each year.
After the morning Mass the Pope will have lunch with the bishops of Austria, then remain at Mariazell to lead a Vespers service for priests, religious, deacons, and seminarians, before returning by helicopter to Vienna and spending his second night at the apostolic nunciature.
Sunday morning, August 9, the Holy Father will travel across Vienna to the archbishop's residence, meeting Cardinal Christoph Schönborn there. Together they will head for the cathedral of St. Stephen for Mass there, following by the Angelus.
After a midday break, the Pope will visit the Heiligenkreuz abbey. Then he will meet later in the afternoon with workers from Catholic charitable groups.
In the evening Pope Benedict will be driven back to the Vienna airport where, after a farewell ceremony, he will board his return flight for Rome.
He is expected to arrive shortly before midnight. The trip to Austria will be the 7th visit abroad by Pope Benedict since his election in April 2005.
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