Sao Paulo, Brazil, Dec 3, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Media outlets in Brazil are reporting on a proposal by the Catholic Church in that country for a schedule of activities for Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to Brazil in May of 2007 for the 5th General Conference of the Latin American Bishops’ Council, which will be held at the Marian shrine of Aparecida.
According to the proposed schedule that Cardinal Claudio Hummes will present to the Holy See next week, the Holy Father would stay in Sao Paulo for three days and two days at the city of Aparecida do Norte, 170 kilometers north of Sao Paulo.
The schedule would include a meeting with Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Sao Paulo and an outdoor Mass at the Plaza Campo de Bagatelle before an estimated one million people.
Auxiliary Bishop Pedro Luiz Stringhini of Sao Paulo, a member of the commission charged with organizing the papal visit, said a meeting with the youth was also proposed.
During his stay in Sao Paulo, the Pope would stay at the Monastery of Sao Bento, which has a central location and would facilitate the Holy Father’s travel to and from the main events there, scheduled for May 10 and 11.