Arrangements for Pope Benedict XVI's first official visit to his home
country are under way, after the pontiff accepted the invitation of
German President Christian Wulff.
The pope will travel to the archdioceses of Berlin, Freiburg and
Erfurt in late 2011, according to a statement from the German Episcopal
Conference.
Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, the chairman of the conference, said the
visit would be "an important moment in the life of our country."
"I am firmly convinced that he will be a strong inspiration for many people," Zollitsch added.
First official visit
The planned visit will be Benedict's first official trip to Germany,
although he made appearances in Cologne while it was hosting World Youth
Day in 2005 and in his native Bavaria in 2006.
The invitation was extended by Christian Wulff in October.
"It is a particularly special pleasure and honor for me and many
people in our country to welcome the Holy Father to his home country in
the 60th anniversary year of his ordination to the priesthood," Wulff
said.
The election of then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in April 2005 to
succeed the late Pope John Paul II was a source of great pride in
Germany - which is about 30 percent Catholic.
The last official papal visit to Germany was by Pope John Paul II in 1996.
Sexual abuse victims still waiting
The pontiff is likely
to receive a cooler reception from German victims of sexual abuse by
priests of the Roman Catholic Church.
Not much has been done
after Zollitsch announced in September that the church was preparing
compensation payments for abuse victims.
The German church has
admitted it had failed to properly investigate claims of abuse, simply
moving pedophile priests to another diocese instead of reporting them to
the police.
The pope himself has faced allegations that he, as Cardinal
Joseph Ratzinger, failed to act against molesting priests while he was
heading the Vatican morals watchdog.
SIC: CNN/INT'L