pope visits baltimore

Remembering Pope John Paul II's Visit to Baltimore 20 Years Later

by Paul Gessler

BALTIMORE (WBFF) - Twenty years ago Thursday, Pope John Paul II visited Baltimore City.

He spent about 10 hours in Baltimore that Sunday in 1995, celebrating mass at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and Cathedral of Mary Our Queen.

"The significance was overwhelming," Sister Gwynette Proctor, former director of Our Daily Bread, said. "His presence surrounded everyone in terms of a calm, a peace."

Pope John Paul II ate lunch at Our Daily Bread, which feeds Baltimore's poor.

"They said, 'He really wanted to come eat with us, and he sat right here? You think this was the plate he used? Is this the table he sat in? They were as excited as we all were," Barbara Brandjes said. "He requested to eat with the poor, and I think that says a lot about him."

Pope John Paul II traveled to the United States seven times.

Twenty years later, Pope Francis would become the fourth Pope to visit the United States, stopping in Washington D.C. for a historic address to Congress.

clock This article was published more than  28 years ago

BALTIMORE ALL ABUZZ OVER POPE

City prepares for mass, parade today.

BALTIMORE, OCT. 7 -- Pope John Paul II, who has spread a message of tolerance since arriving in the United States on Wednesday, ends his trip Sunday with a historic visit here to the nation's oldest Catholic diocese in a state founded on the principle of religious tolerance.

It will be a special day for Baltimore and the pontiff, who will celebrate Mass at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and ride in his Popemobile in an Inner Harbor parade before visiting the first Roman Catholic cathedral and first seminary built in the United States.

The spiritual and historic significance of the 10-hour visit has stirred Maryland's 800,000 Catholics as well as members of other faiths, who have been invited to join the ecumenical parade and see the 75-year-old pope.

"People look up to him as a person who lives out his convictions," said the Rev. Robert F. Leavitt, president rector of St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, where the pope will speak with priests-to-be. "It makes them proud of their Catholicism and proud of the pope as a figure for good in the world."

The excitement was evident tonight at the Inner Harbor, where the popular music group Boyz II Men gave a charity concert for 4,000 Catholic youths working on the visit.

For Quanta Brown, a 17-year-old senior at Damascus High School in Montgomery County, the concert was a special treat. Brown was among a group of Lutheran students chosen to represent her church during the pope's scheduled visit to Baltimore last year, which was canceled.

"It was sad, because I was really looking forward to it," Brown said. "But when we found out we would get to go this time, we were really excited."

After the performance, Cardinal William H. Keeler, the archbishop of Baltimore, introduced Pope John Paul II via satellite. "I greet you, and I hope to see you and to meet you tomorrow in Baltimore," the pope said. "God Bless you.

"Good night, Baltimore," the pope said.

The show ended with a surprise fireworks display that featured the logo for the papal visit to Baltimore.

The invitation-only evening celebration was a thank you to the 1,700-member Young Adult and Youth Corps, men and women ages 14 to 22 who are serving as goodwill ambassadors for the pope's visit to Baltimore.

When he arrives from New York -- the first visit by a pope to Maryland -- the pontiff will pay tribute to a diocese whose influence on American Catholicism has been greater than its size would suggest.

Maryland was founded in 1634 chiefly by English Roman Catholics whose leader envisioned a colony where Catholics, Protestants and people of other faiths could worship freely.

Although they were the minority even then, Catholics persuaded the state legislature to pass the short-lived 1649 Act of Toleration, America's first religious freedom law, spawning Maryland's tradition of social tolerance and political moderation.

Baltimore was the seat of the first Catholic diocese, established in 1789, and the first archdiocese, established in 1808. Both were led by John Carroll, who was born in Upper Marlboro.

The Baltimore Archdiocese extended throughout Maryland and included the District until 1939, when Southern Maryland was broken off and combined with the District to form the Archdiocese of Washington.

Today, one in five Marylanders is Catholic, a slightly lower proportion than the national average of nearly one in four. More than half of Maryland's Catholics belong to the Baltimore Archdiocese.

As the pope tours Baltimore, he will see a Roman Catholic community that is less urban and less concentrated in ethnic enclaves than it was a century ago, but one that remains just as diverse, said Christopher J. Kauffman, professor of church history at Catholic University.

Baltimore's Catholic community began with immigrants from England and Germany but diversified rapidly in later years, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries, as Catholic immigrants from Europe -- particularly those from Italy, Poland, Ireland and Lithuania -- established churches with services in their native languages.

The oldest black church in the United States, St. Francis Xavier, was founded in downtown Baltimore in 1864 and remains vibrant today. At the same time, Latino parishes are assuming a strong presence in the city's Fells Point neighborhood.

Since World War II, Baltimore's ethnic neighborhoods have lost many of their younger members to the suburbs. But the city retains tens of thousands of Polish Americans, and three parishes in East Baltimore cater to them and even conduct some Masses in Polish.

In Baltimore's Polish American community, the arrival of the first Polish pope has special resonance.

"It's quite special, in the sense that he speaks Polish and I understand the language," said the Rev. Timothy Zientek, of St. Casimir's Catholic Church, in the Canton section. "There is a national pride for someone who made the papacy."

Some worshipers will drive or ride trains up from the Washington suburbs, where the Roman Catholic community also has become more diverse in recent decades.

The suburban parishes in the Washington Archdiocese "started out as sort of traditional white Catholic parishes with the middle class, and now they are very multicultural, with Hispanics and Asian and various parishioners sharing the churches," Kauffman said. "There is a new sort of suburban parish there."

Tolerating diversity and the need for the strong to help the weak have been central themes in the pontiff's speeches throughout his fourth trip to the United States. His Baltimore visit will have many moments reflecting those themes, from his lunch at a soup kitchen to his meeting with leaders of Catholic Relief Services, which has its headquarters in Baltimore and has 2,000 workers who help the poor worldwide. People hoping to see the pope were trickling into Baltimore on the eve of his visit, including Alejandro Valenzuela, a 32-year-old Silver Spring construction manager, and his parents, visiting from Chile.

"The pope is joy. He is God's representative on the Earth," Valenzuela said. "It's very important to see the pope. We don't expect a miracle, but we are searching for ourselves."

Members of one Prince George's County family said they will rise at 6 a.m. Sunday to drive to Baltimore to help stage the parade, even though they lost out in the lottery for some of the 50,000 tickets to the Mass. Deborah Pilkerton, 38, a lifelong member of St. Mary's Parish in Landover Hills, was disappointed when her family won no tickets. But she said she felt blessed when the parish later asked her to volunteer to work with handicapped parade participants. She, her mother, Mary Moran Pilkerton, and her daughter Destiny Karis, 13, all said yes.

"When he was in Washington in {1979}, I didn't go," Pilkerton said. "Back then, it was like, I'm not fighting the crowd.' But now it means so much to me. Even if we weren't working, we would have gone to the parade, just because he is here."

Teenagers, too, were looking forward to the pope's visit. "He has a lot to say for the youth, and he kind of gives us hope for us as youths," said Janina Kearns, 16, a member of St. John's parish in Columbia. "It has been hard in the past for the church to hear what we have to say as youth, and the pope emphasizes that we are the future church."

Shawn Stockman, 23, a singer with Boyz II Men, said: "We knew that participating in these events for the Holy Father would be a once-in-a-lifetime thing. We were very honored to have been asked, and we weren't going to let it pass."

Also donating performances for the 4,000 youths in the pavilion were contemporary Christian artists Kathy Troccoli and Grammy-winner Michael W. Smith. Smith, Troccoli and Boyz II Men also are scheduled to perform at Camden Yards before and after the Mass.

The pope brings a message that is universal and transcends religious sects, concert participants said. Only Troccoli is Catholic.

"I believe that this whole thing is to try to bring everybody together," Smith said. "We have to get out of the mentality of, Well, he is Baptist, and we are Catholic.' It is time to stop that, because I believe the Gospel is a very simple message, and we have complicated it." Staff writers Michael Abramowitz, Anna Borgman, Lisa Frazier, Eugene L. Meyer and Paul W. Valentine contributed to this report. CAPTION: THE POPE'S ITINERARY 1. 9:50 a.m.: Arrival and informal welcome at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. 2. 10:15 a.m.: Tour by Popemobile inside Oriole Park at Camden Yards. 3. 10:45 a.m.: Celebration of Mass at Oriole Park, including a homily by the pope and recitation of the Angelus. 4. 1:30 p.m.: Parade through Baltimore, pope goes to the residence of Cardinal William H. Keeler. 5. 2 p.m.: Pope visits Our Daily Bread soup kitchen. 6. 5 p.m.: Visit to the Basilica of the Assumption and meeting with the leadership of Catholic Relief Services. 7. 5:45 p.m.: Visit to the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen and a brief address by the pope. 8. 6:25 p.m.: Arrival at St. Mary's Seminary for transfer to Baltimore-Washington International Airport. 9. 7:30 p.m.: Departure ceremony, including an address by the pope. 10. 8 p.m.: Departure for Rome. CAPTION: BLESSED IN BALTIMORE Street vendor Francis Paluskievicz hawks a commemorative towel on Pratt Street in Baltimore as the city prepares to host Pope John Paul II today. Thousands of people hoping to see the pontiff are heading to the city. (Photo ran on page A01)

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Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Pope John Paul II’s visit to Baltimore touched many lives

By George P. Matysek Jr.

[email protected]

Jim and Pat McDonnell spent less than a minute in the presence of Pope John Paul II, but it was enough to change their lives.

The longtime parishioners of Our Lady of Victory in Arbutus had recently lost their son, Ryan, when he was struck and killed by two cars while riding his bicycle.

Selected to offer the sign of peace to the pope during his Oct. 8, 1995 Mass at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the McDonnells accompanied their two other children, 14-year-old Sean and 8-year-old Brigid, in approaching the Polish pontiff.

As 60,000 people looked on, the pope kissed Brigid on the head and embraced her brother, mother and father. He extended heartfelt condolences to Jim McDonnell for the death of his son.

“When I touched him and looked into his eyes, it was just like looking into the eyes of Jesus,” Pat McDonnell remembered, her voice choking with emotion. “After having that experience with him, I felt like our family could get through anything.”

Pope John Paul II’s historic 10-hour visit included stops at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Daily Bread soup kitchen, the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen and St. Mary’s Seminary and University.

Nearly 16 years later, those who met the pope believe his presence profoundly touched the hearts Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

“Baltimore is a different place because the pope was here,” said Theresa G. Wiseman, who took a leave of absence from her communications position at Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville to work fulltime assisting the planning team that coordinated the papal visit. Wiseman was responsible for helping local, national and international media cover the event.

Attending the departure ceremony at what was then BWI Airport, Wiseman was introduced to the pope by Cardinal William H. Keeler, who explained her media role to the pope.

“The Holy Father said, ‘Ahh! The media!” Wiseman recalled.

Cathy Sitzwohl, who worked on the team that prepared for the papal visit, also greeted the pope at the airport. She genuflected in front of him, but had difficulty getting back on her feet.

“In his frail condition, he held his hands under mine and helped me up,” remembered the parishioner of St. John the Evangelist in Severna Park.

Harold A. “Hal” Smith, former executive director of Catholic Charities, shared a meal with the pope at Our Daily Bread with about 20 people representative of a variety of Catholic Charities programs.

“We selected people we thought would be comfortable, but the reality was everybody froze,” he said. “Nobody knew what to say. The cardinal had a wonderful moment of hosting the group when he spearheaded the conversation by asking the pope a question. The families would ask the cardinal a question, who would then address the Holy Father.”

It took about 10 minutes before people realized they could talk directly to the pope, Smith said.

For the McDonnells, their relationship with the pope has continued after his 2005 death. Pat McDonnell noted that her marriage was under stress after the death of her son. She firmly believes that the pope interceded for her and renewed her relationship with her husband.

More recently, as she has dealt with an illness, McDonnell prayed to the pope to find the right doctor for treatment. She also asked for his intercession to help raise funds in support of a renovation of her church building. He came through on both occasions, she said.

“I believe that he answers my prayers,” she said. “He’s taken my son up in heaven under his wing. I believe they are both interceding for us.”

The McDonnells will be up early on the morning of May 1 to watch Pope John Paul’s beatification on television.

“We will watch that and not the royal wedding,” said Jim McDonnell, Our Lady of Victory’s parish manager. “How many of us have met a saint?”

Pat McDonnell said the beatification date is yet another sign that that the pope is watching out for her. It’s her birthday.

“I met the greatest man in the world,” she said.

Jennifer Williams contributed to this story.

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Collection on Pope John Paul II's visits to the United States

• Print Generating
• Collection Overview
• Collection Organization
• Container Inventory

Scope and Contents

The Collection on Pope John Paul II's visits to the United States describes and shows the build up, events, and aftermath of the Pope's visit. The contents center around Pope John Paul II's visit to Newark's Sacred Heart Cathedral and Giants Stadium on October 4, 1995. Additionally, this collection contains material related to the Pope's past visits to the United States as well as memorabilia and artifacts. These events are exhibited through newspaper clippings, photographs, itineraries, background information on the Pope, and videos of the Papal masses at Giants Stadium and Sacred Heart Cathedral. Background information on the Pope is provided as are task force documents, the Pope's schedule and the entire planning that went into this event in history. Artifacts include t-shirts, caps, and a figure of the Pope.

• Creation: 1979-1996 (bulk 1995)
• Creation: Majority of material found in 1995 - 1995

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

All materials available in this collection (unless otherwise noted) are the property of the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center and Seton Hall University, which reserves the right to limit access to or reproduction of these materials. Reproduction of materials or content is subject to United States copyright restrictions and may be subject to federal or state privacy regulations. Permission to publish exact reproductions must be obtained from the Director of the Archives and Special Collections Center.

Biographical / Historical

Pope John Paul II was elected to the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church in October of 1978. At 58, he was the youngest pope in more than one hundred years, and was the first non-Italian pope since 1523. Born Karol Józef Wojty?a on 18 May 1920 in Wadowice, Poland, he was ordained a priest on 1 November 1946. As Auxiliary Bishop of Kraków, Bishop Wojtyla participated in the Second Vatican Council that began in 1962. He participated in the Synod of Bishops, and in 1964 Pope Paul VI appointed him Archbishop of Kraków, then promoted him to the Sacred College of Cardinals in 1967. Cardinal Wojtyla participated in the papal enclave that elected Pope John Paul I, who died after only 33 days into his papal reign, then was elected pope himself shortly after. Pope John Paul II was considered conservative on issues of doctrine, including the ordination of women, birth control, and same-sex marriage, and progressive in other areas, allowing the validity of the theory of evolution, opposing apartheid in South Africa, and affirming the basic human dignity and rights of homosexual people. He was an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq begun in 2003 by the United States, and is believed to have had a significant role in the collapse of dictatorships in South America and the collapse of Communism in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly in Poland. Pope John Paul II made strong efforts to improve relations between the Roman Catholic Church and other religions, and traveled extensively to meet political and religious leaders around the world. Several of Pope John Paul II's visits abroad were to the United States, in 1979, 1987, 1993, 1995, and 1997, and he was the first pope to visit the White House in 1979. His visit in 1979 included New York City, with stops at the United Nations, Yankee Stadium, and Madison Square Garden. In 1995, Pope John Paul II visited Newark, NJ, and East Rutherford, NJ, as well as New York and Baltimore. While in New Jersey, he celebrated Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral Basilica in Newark, celebrated Mass at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, and met with President Bill Clinton at the residence of Archbishop Theodore McCarrick. After a respiratory ailment, Pope John Paul II died 2 April 2005, in Vatican City.

4.5 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

Additional description.

Pope John Paul II was elected to the papacy of the Roman Catholic Church in October of 1978. In 1995, Pope John Paul II visited Newark, NJ, and East Rutherford, NJ, as well as New York and Baltimore. While in New Jersey, he celebrated Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral Basilica in Newark. The Collection on Pope John Paul II's visits to the United States describes and shows the build up, events, and aftermath of the Pope's visit. The bulk of the material covers Pope John Paul II's visit to Newark on October 4, 1995, but additional material is included on the Pope's trip to Baltimore on October 8, 1995 and past trips to the United States.

Preservica Internal URL

Preservica Internal

Preservica Public URL

Preservica Access

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Shelf find presumed to be collected by the Archives and Special Collections Center and/or the Archdiocese of Newark. Original accession number is FRS.07.10.25 and previous collection number was ADN 15.1

Related Materials

Collection on Pope Pius IX, 1878, Mss 0045 , in the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Seton Hall University. Collection on Pope Paul VI, 1964, Mss 0046 , in the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Seton Hall University. Collection on Pope Benedict XVI, 2008, Mss 0047 , in the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Seton Hall University.

Processing Information

Collection was partially processed by the Seton Hall Archives and Special Collections Center in October 2007. Basic finding aid created as part of Overhaul Project survey by Jacqui Bowen and Tracy M. Jackson, 2013.

Genre / Form

• Photographs
• Popes -- John Paul -- II

Style / Period

• Papacy -- History -- 20th century
• Catholic Church -- Liturgy.
• Papal visits.

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Physical storage information.

• Box: 1 (Mixed Materials)
• Box: 2 (Mixed Materials)
• Box: 8 (Mixed Materials)
• Box: 7 (Mixed Materials)
• Box: 9 (Mixed Materials)
• Box: 4 (Mixed Materials)
• Box: 3 (Mixed Materials)
• Box: 6 (Mixed Materials)
• Box: 5 (Mixed Materials)

External Documents

• TypeCollection

Repository Details

Part of the The Monsignor Field Archives & Special Collection Center Repository

Collection organization

Collection on Pope John Paul II's visits to the United States, 1979-1996 (bulk 1995), Mss 0044, in the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Seton Hall University.

Cite Item Description

Collection on Pope John Paul II's visits to the United States, 1979-1996 (bulk 1995), Mss 0044, in the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center, Seton Hall University. https://archivesspace-library.shu.edu/repositories/2/resources/211 Accessed April 28, 2024.

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Popes in America: 50 Years of Papal Visits

October 4, 1965

Paul vi arrives in new york city : during his visit, he addresses the u.n. general assembly, blesses the new cardinal of new york in st. patrick’s cathedral, and meets with president lyndon b. johnson at the waldorf astoria. his visit lasts a total of 14 hours..

September 21, 1965 The Pope Among Us

"He had come not for us but for the United Nations ... He sounded marvelously innocent of the grounds for quarrel between great nations and, for that reason, the more marvelous for the occasion. Four years ago, the Russians would have darkly searched his text for the ghost of John Foster Dulles; and the Americans would have been wondering whether the Vatican is not a little soft on Communism. Now the United States and the Soviet Union sit together contemplating the barbarities of the Chinese. Pope Paul had fallen perfectly upon the mood of the Assembly and set its key."

September 29, 1979

Pope john paul ii begins his first trip to the united states : he visits boston, new york, philadelphia, chicago, des moines, and washington, d.c., october 20, 1979 popestock in chicago.

"The largest Catholic archdiocese in the United States (2.4 million), the home of the most Polish ethnics (500,000), Chicago probably was more obsessed with John Paul's arrival than any other city. In fact, the city nearly fell victim to its own build-up of the big event, and began to look on Popestock (or "Popefest" as city officials liked to say) with the same enthusiasm it might have for a nuclear accident evacuation."

September 10, 1987

John paul ii begins his fourth trip to the united states : while he made stopovers in alaska in '81 and '84, this is only the second time jpii returns for an extended visit. his stops include miami, columbia, sc, new orleans, san antonio, phoenix, los angeles, monterey, san francisco, and detroit..

October 5, 1987 Papa Do Preach

"The message of John Paul throughout the American trip was daringly simple: a liberal social and economic activism needs a conservative doctrinal and spiritual base. It's a radical but effortlessly Catholic philosophy, and the importance of the Southwest is that it's the crucible for the experiment. John Paul understands this. He also understands that if it doesn't work here, it won't work anywhere."

August 12, 1993

John paul ii visits denver, colorado for world youth day..

September 6, 1993 John Denver

"All week long, Secret Service helicopters had been flying over our street, scoping out the route to the college where the pope and President Clinton were to meet. T-shirts featuring the pope and the Rocky Mountains were for sale on front lawns fbr blocks around. John Paul—or Juan Pablo, as he was called in this neighborhood—was in town with a vengeance."

October, 1995

John paul ii's sixth visit to the u.s. : he travels to newark, new york, and baltimore, where he celebrates a mass at camden yards..

October 30, 1995 Indulgences

"The most politically troublesome thing about the pope's homily in Baltimore was not his obvious reference to abortion...but his declaration that "democracy cannot be sustained without a shared commitment to certain moral truths about the human person and human community." American democracy does rest on moral truths, a whole passel of them, but these truths are rarely legislated ... A very catholic country can never be a very Catholic country. "

January, 1999

John paul ii's seventh and final visit to the united states : he heads to st. louis for the closing of the special assembly for america of the synod of bishops, a papal advisory body., april, 2008, pope benedict xvi's first and only visit to the united states : he meets with president george w. bush, visits ground zero, and addresses the u.n. general assembly. he also celebrates masses at nationals park in d.c. and yankee stadium in new york..

April 9, 2008 Family Values

"If Benedict highlights immigration during his major addresses, Democrats would do well to take notes. The pope's pro-family stance is extremely resonant with Latino voters ... Fine-tuning the Democratic appeal to Latinos could represent quite the electoral trove in November: Latinos have turned out in record numbers for the 2008 primaries. ... In contrast to the harm the Church inflicted on Kerry, this surely counts as papal absolution."

September, 2015

Pope francis arrives in the united states : his schedule includes stops in washington, d.c., philadelphia, and new york city, as well as a meeting with president obama..

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Recalling St John Paul II’s seven visits to the United States

CNA Staff, Apr 2, 2020 / 09:02 am

St. John Paul II was the most traveled pope in history, logging some 700,000 miles and visiting nearly 130 countries.

One of the first countries the pope visited after his election was the United States. As Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, he had visited the US in 1976, two years before his election, stopping at places such as Michigan, Ohio, and Montana, and was eager to return.

Over the course of his nearly 27-year pontificate, St. John Paul II would make seven visits to the US- five of significant length, and two brief stopovers during which he nevertheless left a lasting impression on the memories of the locals.

St. John Paul II died April 2, 2005. On the anniversary of the saint's death, we take a look back at his seven visits to the United States.

Visit 1 , October 1-9, 1979

Where : Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Des Moines, Chicago, Washington, D.C.

St. John Paul II's first visit to the United States as pope was a whirlwind six-city tour that began with a gathering of 100,000 at Boston Common. He then went to New York where he held a youth rally at Madison Square Garden, gave a speech at the United Nations and celebrated Mass before a congregation of 80,000 at Yankee Stadium. He also received a ticker-tape parade in Philadelphia.

After a warm welcome in Chicago, St. John Paul II made his way to Des Moines, ostensibly after a Catholic Iowa farmer wrote to the pope to invite him to see life in "rural America, the heartland and breadbasket of our nation." A crowd of 350,000 greeted him at a farm just outside the city.

The visit also marked the first time a pope had entered the White House, as he met with President Jimmy Carter in Washington. The two leaders discussed situations in the Philippines, China, Europe, South Korea, and the Middle East, and the pope emphasized to Carter the need for the United States to keep ties open to the largely Catholic people of Eastern Europe, then under the throes of Communism.

Finally, St. John Paul II celebrated Mass on the National Mall.

What the pope said:

"Dear young people: do not be afraid of honest effort and honest work; do not be afraid of the truth. With Christ's help, and through prayer, you can answer his call, resisting temptations and fads, and every form of mass manipulation. Open your hearts to the Christ of the Gospels-to his love and his truth and his joy. Do not go away sad!" -Mass at Boston Common

"Fourteen years ago my great predecessor Pope Paul VI spoke from this podium. He spoke memorable words, which I desire to repeat today: 'No more war, war never again! Never one against the other,' or even 'one above the other,' but always, on every occasion, 'with each other.'" -Address to the United Nations

"We cannot stand idly by, enjoying our own riches and freedom, if, in any place, the Lazarus of the twentieth century stands at our doors. In the light of the parable of Christ, riches and freedom mean a special responsibility. Riches and freedom create a special obligation. And so, in the name of the solidarity that binds us all together in a common humanity, I again proclaim the dignity of every human person: the rich man and Lazarus are both human beings, both of them equally created in the image and likeness of God, both of them equally redeemed by Christ, at a great price, the price of 'the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pt 1 :19).'" -Mass at Yankee Stadium

"To all of you who are farmers and all who are associated with agricultural production I want to say this: the Church highly esteems your work. Christ himself showed his esteem for agricultural life when he described God his Father as the "vinedresser" (Jn 15 :1). You cooperate with the Creator, the "vinedresser", in sustaining and nurturing life. You fulfill the command of God given at the very beginning: "Fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen 1 :28). Here in the heartland of America, the valleys and hills have been blanketed with grain, the herds and the flocks have multiplied many times over. By hard work you have become masters of the earth and you have subdued it." -Mass in Des Moines

"All human beings ought to value every person for his or her uniqueness as a creature of God, called to be a brother or sister of Christ by reason of the Incarnation and the universal Redemption. For us, the sacredness of human life is based on these premises. And it is on these same premises that there is based our celebration of life-all human life. This explains our efforts to defend human life against every influence or action that threatens or weakens it, as well as our endeavors to make every life more human in all its aspects. And so, we will stand up every time that human life is threatened." -Mass on the National Mall

Visit 2, February 26, 1981

God ‘answered a lot of prayers’: Scalise discusses faith, cancer recovery 

Where: Stopover in Anchorage

The pope's first visit to Alaska was brief- a stopover lasting just over four hours on his way back to Rome after a pastoral visit to the Philippines, Guam, and Japan- but left a lasting impression.

An estimated 100,000 people came to downtown Anchorage to see the pope, which remains the largest gathering of people in the history of the state.

Then-Archbishop Francis Hurley of Anchorage recalled that as he was escorting the pope downtown, he made a special point of greeting the elderly who waved at him out of the windows of a senior living facility.

When he arrived at Holy Name Cathedral, he took the time to greet the diabled and elderly who had come to see him. One disabled child- who died shortly after the encounter- handed him a bouquet of forget-me-nots; St. John Paul II made a point of mentioning the child and the flowers the next time he visited Alaska, saying that "her loving gesture is not forgotten."

The visit "pulled a lot of Catholics out of the woodwork we didn't know were Catholic" and inspired them back to the practice of their faith, Archbishop Hurley told the archdiocesan newspaper.

(Story continues below)

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"My brothers and sisters in Christ: Never doubt the vital importance of your presence in the Church, the vital importance of religious life and of the ministerial priesthood in the mission of proclaiming the mercy of God. Through your daily life, which is often accompanied by the sign of the cross, and through faithful service and persevering hope, you show your deep faith in the merciful love of God, and bear witness to that love, which is more powerful than evil and stronger than death." -Address to priests and religious in the Anchorage cathedral

Visit 3, May 2, 1984

Where: Stopover in Fairbanks

Once again, Alaska served as a midpoint for the pope between Rome and the Pacific, as he embarked on his pastoral journey to Korea, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Thailand.

This time, St. John Paul II appeared with President Ronald Reagan, who was himself returning from a trip to China, at the Fairbanks airport. During the pope's brief, three-hour refuelling stop, Reagan praised him as a defender of human freedom, and as a source of "solace, inspiration, and hope."

"In some ways, Alaska can be considered today as a crossroads of the world...Here in this vast State sixty-five languages are spoken and peoples of many diverse backgrounds find a common home with the Aleuts, Eskimos and Indians. This wonderful diversity provides the context in which each person, each family, each ethnic group is challenged to live in harmony and concord, one with the other. To achieve this aim requires a constant openness to each other on the part of each individual and group. An openness of heart, a readiness to accept differences, and an ability to listen to each other's viewpoint without prejudice. Openness to others, by its very nature, excludes selfishness in any form. It is expressed in a dialogue that is honest and frank-one that is based on mutual respect. Openness to others begins in the heart." -Address to authorities and people of Alaska

Visit 4, September 10-19, 1987

Where: Miami, Columbia, SC, New Orleans, San Antonio, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Francisco, Detroit

This trip was the longest of St. John Paul II's visits to the US, and his first to the contiguous West Coast. Reagan greeted him once again, this time in Miami.

Notable episodes from the visit included the pope's Mass in Miami being cut short because of a storm; addressing representatives of black Catholics at the Superdome in New Orleans; attending an ecumenical conference on the University of South Carolina campus; Mass in San Antonio with about 275,000 in attendance; touring a Catholic hospital and attending the Tekakwitha Conference- a national gathering of Native American Catholics- at the Arizona State Fair Grounds Coliseum in Phoenix; and addressing representatives from the communications industry in Los Angeles.

Though the pope encountered some protests in San Francisco, and crowds were not as large as some had expected, his visit still drew at least 300,000 in California.

"God loves you! God loves you all, without distinction, without limit. He loves those of you who are elderly, who feel the burden of the years. He loves those of you who are sick, those who are suffering from AIDS and from AIDS-Related Complex. He loves the relatives and friends of the sick and those who care for them. He loves us all with an unconditional and everlasting love." -Address at Mission Dolores Basilica, San Francisco

"The obligation to truth and its completeness applies not only to the coverage of news, but to all your work. Truth and completeness should characterize the content of artistic expression and entertainment. You find a real meaning in your work when you exercise your role as collaborators of truth – collaborators of truth in the service of justice, fairness and love." -Address to people of the communications industry, Los Angeles

"From the very beginning, the Creator bestowed his gifts on each people. It is clear that stereotyping. prejudice, bigotry and racism demean the human dignity which comes from the hand of the Creator and which is seen in variety and diversity. I encourage you, as native people belonging to the different tribes and nations in the East, South, West and North, to preserve and keep alive your cultures, your languages, the values and customs which have served you well in the past and which provide a solid foundation for the future. Your customs that mark the various stages of life, your love for the extended family, your respect for the dignity and worth of every human being, from the unborn to the aged, and your stewardship and care of the earth: these things benefit not only yourselves but the entire human family. Your gifts can also be expressed even more fully in the Christian way of life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is at home in every people. It enriches, uplifts and purifies every culture. All of us together make up the People of God, the Body of Christ, the Church. We should all be grateful for the growing unity, presence, voice and leadership of Catholic Native Americans in the Church today." -Address to Native American Catholics

"I express my deep love and esteem for the black Catholic community in the United States. Its vitality is a sign of hope for society. Composed as you are of many lifelong Catholics, and many who have more recently embraced the faith, together with a growing immigrant community, you reflect the Church's ability to bring together a diversity of people united in faith, hope and love, sharing a communion with Christ in the Holy Spirit. I urge you to keep alive and active your rich cultural gifts. Always profess proudly before the whole Church and the whole world your love for God's word; it is a special blessing which you must forever treasure as a part of your heritage. Help us all to remember that authentic freedom comes from accepting the truth and from living one's life in accordance with it – and the full truth is found only in Christ Jesus. Continue to inspire us by your desire to forgive – as Jesus forgave – and by your desire to be reconciled with all the people of this nation, even those who would unjustly deny you the full exercise of your human rights." -Address to black Catholics

"America, your deepest identity and truest character as a nation is revealed in the position you take towards the human person. The ultimate test of your greatness in the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenceless ones." -Farewell Address

Visit 5: World Youth Day, August 12-15, 1993

Where: Denver

At the time it was chosen, Denver seemed to many to be an odd choice for a host for World Youth Day- the international gathering of young people that he himself had instituted in 1985. The city was experiencing a surge in crime, and many feared that the septuagenarian pope would not be successful in attracting young people to the event.

Nevertheless, World Youth Day in Denver was a huge success, with an estimated 750,000 people attending the final Mass at Cherry Creek State Park. Young people from all over the world showed their willingness to sacrifice and experience pilgrimage by lodging in parish halls en route to Denver, trudging through the heat to Cherry Creek State Park, sleeping on the ground there, and enduring other discomforts.

Upon St. John Paul II death in 20115, then-Archbishop Charles Chaput said that the Pope's visit to Denver was "a Transfiguration for the Church in Northern Colorado - a moment when Jesus smiled on us in a special, joyful, vivid way and invited us into his mission to the world."

"Pilgrims set out for a destination. In our case it is not so much a place or a shrine that we seek to honor. Ours is a pilgrimage to a modern city, a symbolic destination: the "metropolis" is the place which determines the life–style and the history of a large part of the human family at the end of the twentieth century. This modern city of Denver is set in the beautiful natural surroundings of the Rocky Mountains, as if to put the work of human hands in relationship with the work of the Creator. We are therefore searching for the reflection of God not only in the beauty of nature but also in humanity's achievements and in each individual person. On this pilgrimage our steps are guided by the words of Jesus Christ: 'I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.'" -Welcome ceremony at Mile High Stadium

"Do not be afraid to go out on the streets and into public places, like the first Apostles who preached Christ and the Good News of salvation in the squares of cities, towns and villages. This is no time to be ashamed of the Gospel (Cfr. Rom 1,16). It is the time to preach it from the rooftops (Cfr. Matt 10,27). Do not be afraid to break out of comfortable and routine modes of living, in order to take up the challenge of making Christ known in the modern 'metropolis.' It is you who must 'go out into the byroads' (Matt 22,9) and invite everyone you meet to the banquet which God has prepared for his people. The Gospel must not be kept hidden because of fear or indifference. It was never meant to be hidden away in private. It has to be put on a stand so that people may see its light and give praise to our heavenly Father." -Mass at Cherry Creek State Park

Visit 6, October 4-9, 1995

Where: Newark, East Rutherford, NJ, New York City, Yonkers,  NY, Baltimore

This marked the pope's second visit to New York City, and he visited several other cities on the Eastern seaboard. It was his first visit to New Jersey, where he made stops in Newark- celebrating Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral- and East Rutherford, saying Mass at Giants Stadium.

Upon returning to New York, the pope addressed the United Nations for a second time.

"Freedom is not simply the absence of tyranny or oppression. Nor is freedom a licence to do whatever we like. Freedom has an inner 'logic' which distinguishes it and ennobles it: freedom is ordered to the truth, and is fulfilled in man's quest for truth and in man's living in the truth. Detached from the truth about the human person, freedom deteriorates into license in the lives of individuals, and, in political life, it becomes the caprice of the most powerful and the arrogance of power. Far from being a limitation upon freedom or a threat to it, reference to the truth about the human person - a truth universally knowable through the moral law written on the hearts of all - is, in fact, the guarantor of freedom's future." -Address to the United Nations

"As a Christian, my hope and trust are centered on Jesus Christ, the two thousandth anniversary of whose birth will be celebrated at the coming of the new millennium. We Christians believe that in his Death and Resurrection were fully revealed God's love and his care for all creation. Jesus Christ is for us God made man, and made a part of the history of humanity. Precisely for this reason, Christian hope for the world and its future extends to every human person. Because of the radiant humanity of Christ, nothing genuinely human fails to touch the hearts of Christians. Faith in Christ does not impel us to intolerance. On the contrary, it obliges us to engage others in a respectful dialogue. Love of Christ does not distract us from interest in others, but rather invites us to responsibility for them, to the exclusion of no one and indeed, if anything, with a special concern for the weakest and the suffering. Thus, as we approach the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of Christ, the Church asks only to be able to propose respectfully this message of salvation, and to be able to promote, in charity and service, the solidarity of the entire human family." -Address to the United Nations

"At the end of your National Anthem, one finds these words: "Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust!'" America: may your trust always be in God and in none other. And then, "The star–spangled banner in triumph shall wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." Thank you, and God bless you all!" -Farewell address at the Baltimore airport

Visit 7, January 26-27, 1999

Where: St. Louis

The pope's final visit to the United States took him to St. Louis, sometimes called "The Rome of the West" for its many Catholic churches. His visit included a youth rally at an arena, Mass at the city's stadium, and vespers at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis.

Along the way, he met with President Bill Clinton, civil rights leader Rosa Parks, and baseball players Mark McGuire and Stan Musial.

He asked then-governor Mel Carnahan to spare the life of triple-murderer Darrell Mease, whose original execution date had been set for that day- which the governor did, commuting his sentence to life without parole.

Though the pope's age- 78- showed during his 31-hour visit, his enthusiasm and joy attracted thousands of people and left a lasting impression on the city. The Mass he celebrated at the then-Trans World Dome is said to be the largest indoor gathering ever held in the U.S.

"I am told that there was much excitement in St. Louis during the recent baseball season, when two great players (Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa) were competing to break the home-run record. You can feel the same great enthusiasm as you train for a different goal: the goal of following Christ, the goal of bringing his message to the world. Each one of you belongs to Christ, and Christ belongs to you.

At Baptism you were claimed for Christ with the Sign of the Cross; you received the Catholic faith as a treasure to be shared with others. In Confirmation, you were sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and strengthened for your Christian mission and vocation. In the Eucharist, you receive the food that nourishes you for the spiritual challenges of each day.

I am especially pleased that so many of you had the opportunity today to receive the Sacrament of Penance, the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In this Sacrament you experience the Savior's tender mercy and love in a most personal way, when you are freed from sin and from its ugly companion which is shame. Your burdens are lifted and you experience the joy of new life in Christ.

Your belonging to the Church can find no greater expression or support than by sharing in the Eucharist every Sunday in your parishes. Christ gives us the gift of his body and blood to make us one body, one spirit in him, to bring us more deeply into communion with him and with all the members of his Body, the Church. Make the Sunday celebration in your parishes a real encounter with Jesus in the community of his followers: this is an essential part of your 'training in devotion" to the Lord!' -Address to young people

"I will always remember St. Louis. I will remember all of you." -Final words at the cathedral of St. Louis

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A History of Papal Visits to America

Since the inaugural papal visit to the New World by Paul VI, the United States has become a destination visited as often as possible by pontiffs. Ahead of Pope Francis's first visit to the United States since becoming head of the Roman Catholic Church in 2013, Newsweek's Special Editions takes a look at a history of papal visits to America.

POPE PAUL VI

1965 (10/4) New York

Becoming the first pope to leave the confines of the Italian border since the Napoleonic era, Paul VI made a one-day trip to the U.S. in 1965, also becoming the first pontiff to set foot in the New World. In his 14-hour New York adventure, Pope Paul VI visited St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Avenue, making a speech to assembled American Catholics in his slight Italian accent. Upon his arrival at JFK Airport, he proclaimed, "Greetings to you, America. The first pope to set foot on your land blesses you with all his heart. He renews, as it were, the gesture of your discoverer, Christopher Columbus, when he planted the Cross of Christ on this blessed soil."

ST. POPE JOHN PAUL II

1979 (10/1–10/7) Boston; New York; Philadelphia; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; and Des Moines, Iowa.

During his first-ever trip to the United States, the future St. John Paul II led Mass at Yankee and Shea stadiums in New York City, on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia and in the expansive Grant Park in Chicago. More than one million American Catholic worshippers showed up to receive the pope's blessings during his stateside visit.

1981 (2/27) Anchorage, Alaska

After canonizing the first ever Filipino saint, Lorenzo Ruiz, in Manila, Philippines, His Holiness stopped off for half a day in Anchorage, Alaska, which made him the first pontiff ever to visit the American arctic.

1984 (5/2) Fairbanks, Alaska—stopover/several hours

On his way to his visit to the Far East, Pope John Paul II returned to Alaska during a stopover on his way to Seoul, Korea. His trip to the Asian peninsula was for the purpose of canonizing 103 Korean martyrs.

1987 (9/10–9/19) Miami; Columbia, South Carolina; New Orleans; San Antonio; Phoenix; Los Angeles; Monterey, California; San Francisco; Detroit

During his longest ever trip to the United States, John Paul II led Masses in Miami; New Orleans; San Antonio; Phoenix; Los Angeles; Salinas, California; and Pontiac, Michigan. He also met with President Ronald Reagan in the process to discuss world issues.

1993 (8/12–8/15) Denver (World Youth Day)

In Colorado for the growing tradition of World Youth Day, Pope John Paul II condemned violence, drug abuse and pornography as threats to the future of society before officially meeting with President Bill Clinton.

1995 (10/4–10/8) Newark, New Jersey; New York (including Brooklyn); Baltimore

Making a tour of the New York Metropolitan Area, Pope John Paul II arrived in Newark and greeted the gathered faithful in typically warm and stately fashion: "It is a great joy for me to return to the United States, as I had hoped to do last year. Thank you all for receiving me so warmly. This is a land of much generosity, and its people have always been quick to extend their hands in friendship and to offer hospitality. Thank you especially, President Clinton, for coming here today in that same spirit.... I look forward to meeting the Catholic communities of Newark, Brooklyn, New York and Baltimore, as well as our brothers and sisters of other Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities.... I greet all the people of this great nation, of every race, color, creed and social condition. I pray for you all and assure you of my profound esteem."

1999 (1/26–1/27)—St. Louis

An aging John Paul II visited St. Louis and held Mass in front of 100,000 people in the city's football stadium. He took the opportunity of an audience in the American heartland to roundly decry the death penalty as cruel and unnecessary.

POPE BENEDICT XVI

2008 (4/15–4/20)—Washington, D.C. and New York

After meeting with President George W. Bush at the White House, Benedict said Mass at Nationals Park and moved on to New York. While in the Big Apple, the pope said Mass at both St. Patrick's Cathedral and Yankee Stadium before offering a blessing at the former site of the World Trade Center.

This article appears in Newsweek 's Collector's Edition, Pope Francis The American Journey, by Issue Editor James Ellis.

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Pope to visit Baltimore

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Pope John Paul II’s Baltimore visit — canceled last year because of his health problems — has been rescheduled for October, delighting the area’s Roman Catholics.

Margery Murphy of Roland Park was buoyed by yesterday’s news that the pope will come here Oct. 8 — in a visit to include a Sunday Mass in the Camden Yards stadium and a parade.

“I’m thrilled to death,” Mrs. Murphy, 85, said as she left a noon service at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. “I think if I see him, I’ll give him a big hug.”

Count Mrs. Murphy among the pope’s millions of admirers. “I’ve been in Rome and I’ve seen the other popes, and I think this man is really wonderful,” she said. “You see, I’m older. And in this world of trouble and sin, he stands out bright and strong — a beautiful light of the world.”

Cardinal William H. Keeler in Baltimore and the Vatican press office in Rome made a simultaneous announcement that the papal trip to the United States — canceled last year for health reasons — had been revived.

As was planned last fall, the pope’s Oct. 4 to 8 visit to the New York area and Baltimore will be built around an address to the United Nations.

The pope is scheduled to arrive the afternoon of Oct. 4 at Newark International Airport. After visiting the United Nations the next day, the pope is to make a round of appearances in New York City and Newark through Oct. 7.

Tentative plans call for him to fly to Baltimore-Washington International Airport on the morning of Oct. 8, and to leave for Rome from there in the evening.

Mary Our Queen parishioner B. Franklin Hearn III, who counted on being an usher for Pope John Paul’s scheduled visit to the North Baltimore cathedral last year, had his hopes renewed yesterday. Cardinal Keeler said the pope is expected to participate in a brief ecumenical prayer service at the cathedral.

“I’m very excited,” said Mr. Hearn, 65. “I think all the parishes will benefit from the visit here, since the cathedral is part of everybody in the Baltimore area. I just think it will be a big boost to everybody’s feelings about the Catholic Church, among people of all faiths. I think all faiths look up to a person like him.”

Cardinal Keeler matched his flock’s enthusiasm.

“We will welcome a man who, in the past several months, has seen his book become a best-seller, has been named Time magazine’s Man of the Year, and who in his trip to the Philippines attracted one of the largest crowds in history,” he said.

“We will pick up our planning right where we left off last year,” the cardinal added. “The Holy Father’s visit to Baltimore will be a celebration for the entire community.”

Estella Chavez, who works at the Hispanic Apostolate on South Wolfe Street in East Baltimore, had been selected to sing in the 250-voice choir for the Camden Yards Mass planned last year and was bitterly disappointed when it was canceled.

Of the revived plans she said, “It was a pleasant, pleasant surprise. I see it as an acknowledgment of the importance of Baltimore as a city with a very large Catholic community.”

Cardinal Keeler, who had called Baltimore Orioles majority owner Peter Angelos about yesterday’s news, anticipated no scheduling conflict that would prevent the Oct. 8 Mass at Camden Yards.

If the baseball strike is settled, the Orioles’ last regular season game in Baltimore would be Oct. 1. After that, there would be baseball at Camden Yards only if the Orioles were in the playoffs.

Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke said he was “very pleased” that the pope’s health will allow him to come to Baltimore. But the mayor noted that the visit “involves a great deal of logistical work” and “a lot of security.”

“We want the city to look the very best,” he said. “We want all the accommodations to be good. You never know whether the president or the vice president will attend until the last minute, so you have to plan for that.”

Mayor Schmoke joked that “the good thing from my personal point of view is that I don’t get any tickets to distribute. . . . I’m out of the ticket business.”

Most of the tickets to the Mass at Camden Yards, which seats 48,262, will be distributed through Catholic parishes in the region, Cardinal Keeler said.

The archdiocese announced that $250,000 in donations collected from Catholic parishioners last year to offset the cost of the canceled visit will be applied to this year’s expenses.

“Our biggest, single expense is the care and feeding of the media,” Cardinal Keeler said, noting that the expense is covered by the administrative arm of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington. Cardinal Keeler is the president of that group.

The design and construction of the papal altar for the outdoor Mass could have required a large expenditure by the archdiocese, but local architects and builders are donating it, the cardinal said. It will be erected in center field and Pope John Paul will prepare for the Mass in the bullpen, a short walk from the altar.

The pope’s 1994 trip was canceled because the pope needed more time to recover from hip-replacement surgery, Vatican officials said. That announcement came at a time when the pope was looking frail and tired, reviving concerns about his health.

But the Vatican denied then — and continues to deny — that he is seriously ill.

The 74-year-old pontiff, who now walks with a cane, resumed foreign travel with a four-country Asian pilgrimage in January.

He announced during that tour that he planned to make up for canceled trips and resume his regular foreign travel. He said he expected to visit the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belgium and several African countries in addition to the United States.

John Paul made major pilgrimages to the United States in 1979 and 1987. He was in Denver in August 1993 to celebrate the Roman Catholic Church’s World Youth Day with visiting teen-agers and young adults from many countries.

The 1994 trip was scheduled to last four days; another day was added for the 1995 trip. The extra day in the New York area will give the pope more time to rest between events, Cardinal Keeler said.

He outlined what Vatican planners and U.S. church officials expect. “This will be a five-day trip involving meetings at the United Nations and three large public appearances in New York and New Jersey.”

When the pope is in Baltimore, it is expected — as was planned last year — that he “will celebrate morning Mass at Camden Yards, and lead a parade through downtown Baltimore,” the cardinal said. The pope is to ride in the parade in one of the fleet of white, bullet-proof vehicles that the Vatican calls “popemobiles.”

“A small prayer service at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen will precede the official departure ceremony from Baltimore-Washington International Airport,” the cardinal said. Public officials and leaders of other religious faiths will be invited to take part.

The plans for last October had included an interfaith prayer vigil at the Inner Harbor the night before his expected arrival. Such an event is likely to be part of the new schedule.

“In the days and weeks ahead,” Cardinal Keeler said, “we will begin reforming the volunteer groups that made our initial planning so comprehensive and inclusive. We have a lot to do over the next seven months.”

Although John Paul visited Baltimore in 1976 as the cardinal of Krakow, Poland, he has not been here since his election to the papacy in 1978. The 1976 stop in Baltimore included a visit to Holy Rosary, an East Baltimore parish with a large Polish congregation.

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• Dog Recognises the Risen Christ

The dog in the photo was trained to identify life after earthquakes. His posture and the fact of staying fixed as seen in the image is the posture that tells the rescuer that there is life in that place. And look at nothing more and nothing less where and in front of who is placed: in front of Jesus as the Eucharistic bread in the tabernacle, the living God among us.

“On the evening of the last day of his October 1995 visit to the United States, John Paul II was scheduled to greet the seminarians at Saint Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. It had been a very full day that began with a Mass at Oriole Park in Camden Yards, a parade through downtown streets, a visit to the Basilica of the Assumption, the first cathedral in the country, lunch at a local soup kitchen run by Catholic Charities; a prayer service at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen in North Baltimore; and finally a quick stop at Saint Mary’s Seminary.

The schedule was tight so the plan was simply to greet the seminarians while they stood outside on the steps. But the Pope made his way through their ranks and into the building. His plan was to first make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament.

When his wishes were made known, security flew into action. They swept the building paying close attention to the chapel where the Pope would be praying. For this purpose highly trained dogs were used to detect any person who might be present.

The dogs are trained to locate survivors in collapsed buildings after earthquakes and other disasters. These highly intelligent and eager dogs quickly went through the halls, offices and classrooms and were then sent to the chapel. They went up and down the aisle, past the pews and finally into the side chapel where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved.

Upon reaching the tabernacle, the dogs sniffed, whined, pointed, and refused to leave, their attention riveted on the tabernacle, until called by their handlers. They were convinced that they discovered someone there.

We Catholics know they were right — they found a real, living Person in the tabernacle!”

Article taken from Fr. Arthur Byrne, Garabandal Journal

2 Responses to Dog Recognises the Risen Christ

Wonderful! I bet those dog handlers paused for thought later at home, if there’s any lukewarm priests reading you’re article then may this story and photo rekindle their love and devotion for the eucharist and their hearts once again become aflamed.

Thank you Martin, yes those handlers will not forget what happened in a hurry. It is amazing that some animals can see the truth before humans can – reminds me of the miracle of St Anthony and the Mule.

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Visits By Foreign Leaders of Holy See

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Pope Francis visits Venice in first trip outside of Rome in seven months

April 28, 2024 / 3:18 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Pope Francis made his first trip out of Rome in seven months on Sunday with a visit to Venice that included an art exhibition, a stop at a prison and a Mass.

Venice has always been a place of contrasts, of breathtaking beauty and devastating fragility, where history, religion, art and nature have collided over the centuries to produce an otherworldly gem of a city. But even for a place that prides itself on its culture of unusual encounters, Francis' visit on Sunday stood out.

Francis traveled to the lagoon city to visit the Holy See's pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art show and meet with the people who created it. But because the Vatican decided to mount its exhibit in Venice's women's prison, and invited inmates to collaborate with the artists, the whole project assumed a far more complex meaning, touching on Francis' belief in the power of art to uplift and unite, and of the need to give hope and solidarity to society's most marginalized.

His trip began at the courtyard of the Giudecca prison, where he met with women inmates one by one.

"Paradoxically, a stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolized by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute," Francis told them.

The 87-year-old pontiff then met with Biennale artists in the prison chapel, decorated with an installation by Brazilian visual artist Sonia Gomes of objects dangling from the ceiling, meant to draw the viewer's gaze upward.

The Vatican exhibit has turned the Giudecca prison, a former convent for reformed prostitutes, into one of the must-see attractions of this year's Biennale, even though to see it visitors must reserve in advance and go through a security check. It has become an unusual art world darling that greets visitors at the entrance with Maurizio Cattelan's wall mural of  two giant filthy feet , a work that recalls Caravaggio's dirty feet or the feet that Francis washes each year in a Holy Thursday ritual that he routinely performs on prisoners.

The exhibit also includes a short film starring the inmates and Zoe Saldana, and prints in the prison coffee shop by onetime Catholic nun and American social activist Corita Kent.

Francis' dizzying morning visit, which ended with Mass in St. Mark's Square, represented an increasingly rare outing for the 87-year-old pontiff, who has been hobbled by health and mobility problems that have ruled out any foreign trips so far this year.

"Venice, which has always been a place of encounter and cultural exchange, is called to be a sign of beauty available to all," Francis said. "Starting with the least, a sign of fraternity and care for our common home."

During an encounter with young people at the iconic Santa Maria della Salute basilica, Francis acknowledged the miracle that is Venice, admiring its "enchanting beauty" and tradition as a place of East-West encounter, but warning that it is increasingly vulnerable to climate change and depopulation.

"Venice is at one with the waters upon which it sits," Francis said. "Without the care and safeguarding of this natural environment, it might even cease to exist."

in the exhibit as tour guides and as protagonists in some of the artworks.

Ahead of his trip, Francis sat down with "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell during an hourlong interview at the guest house where he lives in Rome. 

During the interview, Francis pleaded for peace worldwide amid the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza .

"Please. Countries at war, all of them, stop the war. Look to negotiate. Look for peace," said the pope, speaking through a translator.

He also had a message for those who do not see a place for themselves in the Catholic Church anymore. 

"I would say that there is always a place, always. If in this parish the priest doesn't seem welcoming, I understand, but go and look elsewhere, there is always a place," he said. "Do not run away from the Church. The Church is very big. It's more than a temple ... you shouldn't run away from her."

The pope's Venice trip was the first of four planned inside Italy in the next three months, Reuters reported. He is scheduled to visit Verona in May and Trieste in July, and is expected to attend the June summit of Group of Seven (G7) leaders in Bari.

In September, he is also set to embark on the longest foreign trip of his papacy, traveling to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

An extended version of O'Donnell's interview with Pope Francis will air on "60 Minutes" on Sunday, May 19 at 7 p.m. ET. On Monday, May 20, CBS will broadcast an hourlong primetime special dedicated to the papal interview at 10 p.m. ET on the CBS Television Network and streaming on  Paramount+ . Additionally, CBS News and Stations will carry O'Donnell's interview across platforms. 

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50 Years Of Pope Visits To The United States

Reporter, HuffPost

Pope Francis waves to faithfuls gathered in St. Peter's Square following his Sunday Angelus prayer from the window of the pontiff studio on August 16, 2015 at the Vatican.

Pope Francis will make his first visit to the United States in September, with stops in Washington, New York and Philadelphia. His trip will add to the 50-year history of pope visits to the U.S.

Pope Paul VI made the first papal visit to the U.S. in October 1965. He addressed the United Nations General Assembly, attended the New York World's Fair and celebrated Mass at Yankee Stadium. He also met with President Lyndon Johnson.

In October 1979, Pope John Paul II made his first of seven trips to the U.S. He visited Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and Des Moines, and met President Jimmy Carter in Washington.

In February 1981, John Paul II spent several hours on a stopover in Anchorage, Alaska, after canonizing the first Filipino saint, Lorenzo Ruiz , in Manila. Three years later, he met President Ronald Reagan during another stopover in Alaska, while en route to canonize 103 martyrs in Seoul, South Korea.

John Paul II's longest U.S. visit was in September 1987, when he made stops in Miami; New Orleans; San Antonio, Texas; Phoenix; Los Angeles; Salinas, California; and Pontiac, Michigan. In 1993, he celebrated Mass at World Youth Day and met with President Bill Clinton in Denver.

John Paul II visited New York City, New Jersey and Baltimore in 1995, and met again with Clinton. His final visit was in January 1999, when he celebrated Mass with more than 100,000 people at a football dome in St. Louis.

Pope Benedict XVI visited the U.S. once, in April 2008. He met with President George W. Bush at the White House and visited New York City, where he offered a blessing at the World Trade Center site.

Here's a look back at 50 years of pope visits to the U.S.:

Pope John Paul II gestures to the crowd during his trip to the United States, on Oct. 6, 1979.

Young girl receives communion from Pope John Paul II as they celebrate Mass at Aqeduct Race Track in Jamaica, Queens, on Oct. 6, 1995.

Pope John Paul II says evening prayers in the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, during his 1995 visit to the U.S.

Pope John Paul II leaves St. Patrick's Cathedral on Oct. 7, 1995, in New York surrounded by security and police as he heads for an impromptu walk down Fifth Avenue.

Pope John Paul II prepares communion during an outdoor Mass in New York's Central Park, Oct., 7, 1995.

Pope John Paul II during Mass in Central Park on Oct. 8, 1995.

Pope John Paul II greets President Bill Clinton during his visit to St. Louis in 1999.

Pope Benedict XVI waves to supporters after exiting the popemobile at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York, U.S., on Sunday, April 20, 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI gestures as he arrived for a mass at the Yankee Stadium in New York on April 20, 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI waves after the conclusion of Mass at Yankee Stadium in New York on April 20, 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI gives a blessing with holy water during ceremonies at Ground Zero on his last day in New York on April 20, 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI visits Ground Zero on his final day in New York City, April 20, 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI speaks at JFK International Airport, joined by Vice President Richard and Mrs. Lynne Cheney during his farewell ceremony on April 21, 2008.

Also on HuffPost:

Popes Who Shook The World

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From our partner, more in religion.

The Pope, The Dogs, and the True Presence

What exactly do we mean when we refer to the “True Presence?”

In October of 1995, Pope John Paul II was scheduled to greet seminarians at St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore. At the last moment the Pope told his security team that after greeting the seminarians he would go into a side chapel to pray.

The security team sprang into action ahead of the Pope. They swept the building, paying special attention to the chapel which housed the Blessed Sacrament, the chapel the Pope intended to visit. To do this they used dogs. The dogs were trained to locate people who may be buried under the rubble of collapsed buildings after earthquakes and other disasters.

The dogs and their handlers swept the halls, offices, and classrooms quickly and then went into the chapel. They went up and down the aisles and past the pews but when they reached the tabernacle, they sniffed and whined and pointed, refusing to leave until their handlers called them away.

It is difficult to say exactly what the dogs were responding to but there are countless stories of animals sensing things that humans do not. It may be due to their heightened physical senses or it may be due to some supernatural sense that humans have lost. In this case the dogs were convinced that they had found a person in the small box used to reserve the Blessed Sacrament.

We are a forgetful people, and so we need reminders.

Why is it so important that we remain quiet when we enter a church? Why is so much importance attached to the cupboard that holds the Eucharistic host between Masses? Why do we kneel whenever we cross in front of it? And why do we take so much care in the decoration and arrangement of our churches?

The answer to all of these questions is the same, God. A miracle takes place at every Catholic Mass and Orthodox Liturgy. Common bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of God. They still appear to be bread and wine but their substance is changed. This is what theologians call transubstantiation. God is physically present in every Catholic and Orthodox Church. This is what we mean when we refer to the “True Presence.”

We believe this because Our Lord Himself revealed this to us. Six times in the Gospel according to John, He tells us that His body is true food and His blood is true drink.

And so we remain quiet when we enter the sanctuary because we enter the presence of God. What can mere words convey in the presence of the Lord of All Creation? The “cupboard” is the tabernacle where God is enthroned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We kneel before it and surround it with as much beauty as we are capable of, as befitting the source and summit of our faith.

We are a forgetful people. Today, let us be reminded of what we truly believe.

Pax Vobiscum

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Pope makes landmark visit to venice biennale and proclaims that ‘the world needs artists’.

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Pope Francis became the first pontiff to visit Venice's contemporary art festival during a trip that saw him visit a female prison and rehabilitate the reputation of a pioneering American nun artist.

The 87-year-old Pope traveled to the northeastern Italian city by helicopter on April 28, touching down at the prison on Giudecca Island in the Venetian lagoon which has been taken over by the Holy See for the eight-month-long biennale.

Curated by Chiara Parisi and Bruno Racine, the pavilion — titled "Con i miei occhi" (which translates as "With my eyes") — reflects the Pope's concern for society's outsiders, especially prisoners, and includes works from several female artists. Francis began his Venice trip by greeting each of the approximately 80 inmates in the prison courtyard, several of whom are involved in the exhibition.

Poetry from some inmates has been placed on the walls of the prison, while others act in a short film by Italian director Marco Perego and his wife, actor Zoe Saldaña, a star of the "Avatar" films. Saldana plays a prisoner on the day of her release alongside other inmates.

"Paradoxically, a stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new…as symbolized by the artistic event you are hosting," Francis told them. "Let us not forget that we all have mistakes to be forgiven for and wounds to be healed — me too."

Afterward, in the prison chapel, the Pope met artists involved in the biennale and the Holy See pavilion, where he told them their work can help tackle racism, xenophobia, ecological "imbalance," "fear of the poor" and inequality.

"The world needs artists," he said.

His meeting with them also marked a rehabilitation for Corita Kent, known as the " pop art nun ," whose works are included in the Holy See pavilion but who in the past faced resistance from a powerful cardinal. During his speech, the pope singled out Kent – along with Frida Kahlo and Louise Bourgeois — as female artists whose works have "something important to teach us."

Kent, a religious sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary community in Los Angeles who later left the order, was renowned for her colorful screen-prints which raised awareness of racial injustice and championed civil rights. But in the late 1950s and 60s, her progressive religious order clashed with the then Cardinal Archbishop of Los Angeles, James McIntyre, who took a particular dislike to some of Kent's art, calling it blasphemous .

Although he has struggled with bouts of ill health in recent months, Francis seemed animated and engaged while in Venice on a trip that lasted just five hours and was jam-packed with events. At one point, he joked with a local journalist about the weather and said that every time he goes to a prison he asks: "why them and not me?"

Francis traveled around Venice on a motorboat, an open-air golf buggy with the Holy See coat of arms emblazoned on it and his wheelchair, something which he is increasingly using due to mobility difficulties.

Along with the trip to the female prison, Francis also held a meeting with young people, presided at an open-air Mass in St. Mark's Square, led the Sunday midday prayer, and prayed in front of the relics of Saint Mark in the basilica.

During his homily, he warned against the threats Venice faces including from climate change, saying that rising sea levels mean the city "may cease to exist" and talked about the need for "adequate tourism management." His visit comes just days after Venice began charging day-trippers an entry fee.

The Vatican first entered a pavilion for the biennale in 2013, but this is the first time it has shown at a prison. The 2024 pavilion was commissioned by its culture office, which is led by the Portuguese prelate, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, an award-winning poet. The cardinal explained that the pavilion is an attempt to involve visitors "directly in reality."

As it is a working prison, those who visit the Holy See pavilion have to hand in their cell phones, while the façade of the building is covered with a mural of the soles of two dirty feet by Maurizio Cattelan , who is known for his sculpture of Pope John Paul II being hit by a meteorite.

The Venice Biennale was first held in 1895 and takes place every other year, with each country having its own pavilion (the Vatican is the world's smallest sovereign territory). For 2024, it has taken the theme "Foreigners Everywhere" and seeks to highlight artists from marginalized backgrounds.

Pope visits Venice to speak to artists and inmates and finds city taxing day-trippers

Pope Francis has met with women prisoners in Venice who are the protagonists of the Vatican pavilion at the Venice Biennale art fair

VENICE, Italy -- Venice has always been a place of contrasts, of breathtaking beauty and devastating fragility, where history, religion, art and nature have collided over the centuries to produce an otherworldly gem of a city. But even for a place that prides itself on its culture of unusual encounters, Pope Francis ’ visit Sunday stood out.

Francis traveled to the lagoon city to visit the Holy See’s pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art show and meet with the people who created it. But because the Vatican decided to mount its exhibit in Venice’s women’s prison, and invited inmates to collaborate with the artists, the whole project assumed a far more complex meaning, touching on Francis’ belief in the power of art to uplift and unite, and of the need to give hope and solidarity to society’s most marginalized.

Francis hit on both messages during his visit, which began in the courtyard of the Giudecca prison where he met with the women inmates one by one. As some of them wept, Francis urged them to use their time in prison as a chance for “moral and material rebirth."

“Paradoxically, a stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolized by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute,” Francis said.

Francis then met with Biennale artists in the prison chapel, decorated with an installation by Brazilian visual artist Sonia Gomes of objects dangling from the ceiling, meant to draw the viewer’s gaze upward. He urged the artists to embrace the Biennale’s theme this year “Strangers Everywhere,” to show solidarity with all those on the margins.

The Vatican exhibit has turned the Giudecca prison, a former convent for reformed prostitutes, into one of the must-see attractions of this year’s Biennale, even though to see it visitors must reserve in advance and go through a security check. It has become an unusual art world darling that greets visitors at the entrance with Maurizio Cattelan’s wall mural of two giant filthy feet, a work that recalls Caravaggio’s dirty feet or the feet that Francis washes each year in a Holy Thursday ritual that he routinely performs on prisoners.

The exhibit also includes a short film starring the inmates and Zoe Saldana, and prints in the prison coffee shop by onetime Catholic nun and American social activist Corita Kent.

Francis’ dizzying morning visit, which ended with Mass in St. Mark's Square, represented an increasingly rare outing for the 87-year-old pontiff, who has been hobbled by health and mobility problems that have ruled out any foreign trips so far this year.

And Venice, with its 121 islands and 436 bridges, isn't an easy place to negotiate. But Francis pulled it off, arriving by helicopter from Rome, crossing the Giudecca Canal in a water taxi and then arriving in St. Mark's Square in a mini popemobile that traversed the Grand Canal via a pontoon bridge erected for the occasion.

During an encounter with young people at the iconic Santa Maria della Salute basilica, Francis acknowledged the miracle that is Venice, admiring its “enchanting beaty” and tradition as a place of East-West encounter, but warning that it is increasingly vulnerable to climate change and depopulation.

“Venice is at one with the waters upon which it sits,” Francis said. “Without the care and safeguarding of this natural environment , it might even cease to exist.”

Venice, sinking under rising sea levels and weighed down by the impact of overtourism, is in the opening days of an experiment to try to limit the sort of day trips that Francis undertook Sunday.

Venetian authorities last week launched a pilot program to charge day-trippers 5 euros ($5.35) apiece on peak travel days. The aim is to encourage them to stay longer or come at off-peak times, to cut down on crowds and make the city more livable for its dwindling number of residents.

For Venice’s Catholic patriarch, Archbishop Francesco Moraglia, the new tax program is a worthwhile experiment, a potential necessary evil to try to preserve Venice as a livable city for visitors and residents alike.

Moraglia said Francis’ visit — the first by a pope to the Biennale — was a welcome boost, especially for the women of the Giudecca prison who participated in the exhibit as tour guides and as protagonists in some of the artworks.

He acknowledged that Venice over the centuries has had a long, complicated, love-hate relationship with the papacy, despite its central importance to Christianity.

The relics of St. Mark — the top aide to St. Peter, the first pope — are held here in the basilica, which is one of the most important and spectacular in all of Christendom. Several popes have hailed from Venice — in the past century alone three pontiffs were elected after being Venice patriarchs. And Venice hosted the last conclave held outside the Vatican: the 1799-1800 vote that elected Pope Paul VII.

But for centuries before that, relations between the independent Venetian Republic and the Papal States were anything but cordial as the two sides dueled over control of the church. Popes in Rome issued interdicts against Venice that essentially excommunicated the entire territory. Venice flexed its muscles back by expelling entire religious orders, including Francis’ own Jesuits.

“It’s a history of contrasts because they were two competitors for so many centuries,” said Giovanni Maria Vian, a church historian and retired editor of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano whose family hails from Venice. “The papacy wanted to control everything, and Venice jealously guarded its independence.”

Moraglia said that troubled history is long past and that Venice was welcoming Francis with open arms and gratitude, in keeping with its history as a bridge between cultures.

“The history of Venice, the DNA of Venice — beyond the language of beauty and culture that unifies — there's this historic character that says that Venice has always been a place of encounter," he said.

Francis said as much as he closed out Mass in St. Mark's before an estimated 10,500 people.

“Venice, which has always been a place of encounter and cultural exchange, is called to be a sign of beauty available to all," Francis said. "Starting with the least, a sign of fraternity and care for our common home.”

Winfield reported from Rome. Associated Press writer Colleen Barry contributed.

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Pope makes first visit out of Rome for seven months after health scares

Pope Francis has been forced to cancel engagements repeatedly due to his condition, but on Sunday he made a trip to Venice where he asked worshippers to pray for him, saying his work is "not easy".

Sunday 28 April 2024 15:25, UK

Pope Francis has made his first trip out of Rome for seven months with a visit to Venice where he asked worshippers to "pray for me". 

It was a rare acknowledgement of the strains of the job as he told thousands of the faithful gathered in St Mark's Square: "This work is not easy".

During a five-hour visit on Sunday, the pontiff visited an art exhibition and prison as well as conducting mass.

The 87-year-old unexpectedly withdrew from a Good Friday procession in March "to preserve his health".

He had been battling respiratory problems all winter that made it difficult for him to speak at length.

In December, he was due to go to the United Arab Emirates, but pulled out after coming down with flu.

A painful knee ailment makes it hard for him to walk and on Sunday he regularly used a wheelchair, with Vatican News Television cutting away whenever he was helped into a chair to give a speech, or on to his white golf cart.

Read more from Sky News: Ireland pledges law to send asylum seekers back to UK Harry to visit UK on second trip since King's cancer diagnosis

The Pope acknowledged Venice's "enchanting beauty" in his homily at a mass before about 10,000 people in the shadow of St Mark's Basilica, one of the most celebrated churches in Italy.

But he said the city also faced an array of challenges, including climate change, the fragility of its cultural heritage, and overtourism.

"Moreover, all these realities risk generating... frayed social relations, individualism, and loneliness," he said.

Venice introduced a €5 charge last week for day-trippers during peak travel periods in an effort to thin the crowds.

Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News

He started the day by flying by helicopter into a women's prison where the Vatican has set up an exhibition that is part of the Venice Biennale, a prestigious international art show that has never been visited by a pope before.

The pope has repeatedly called for society to rally around the poor and neglected, including prison populations.

"Prison is a harsh reality, and problems such as overcrowding, the lack of facilities and resources, and episodes of violence, give rise to a great deal of suffering. But it can also become a place of moral and material rebirth," he told inmates and guards on Sunday.

He also addressed a group of young Venetians, urging them not to spend their life glued to their smartphones, but to help others.

"If we always focus on our self, our needs, and what we lack, we will always find ourselves back at the starting point, crying over ourselves with a long face," he said.

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Papal Visit to Baltimore 1995

Pope John Paul II visited Baltimore during his Papal Visit to the United States in October 1995.

Slide Show of Papal Visit View our slideshow of images taken during the Papal Mass at Oriole Park at Camden Yards as well as other places in which the Holy Father addressed the faithful of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Papal Mass at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

The Holy Father recalls the past achievements of the Church in the United States and challenges today’s Catholics to engage in the new evangelization with increased vitality and courage. Because democracy demands a commitment to certain moral truths about the human person and human society, His Holiness encourages America’s Catholics to let their faith illuminate their contribution to the future of their country.

• Welcome Address for Visit of Pope John Paul II – Cardinal Keeler
• Homily from the Papal Mass
• Angelus from the Papal Mass

Address to representatives of Catholic Relief Services

In this written message, the Holy Father acknoledges the work of Catholic Relief Services as an important expression of the Church’s rich tradition of social doctrine. Inspired by respect for the dignity of each individual and the need for social solidarity, C.R.S. can bear concrete witness to the Church’s teaching on the moral and religious implications of political, economic and social life.

Address at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen

At the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, the Holy Father entrusts to Mary the results of his visit to the United Nations and his pilgrimage to the Church in Newark, Brooklyn, New York and Baltimore. He acknowledges the continuing importance of America’s tradition of religious freedom and offers words of encouragement to all committed to serving the poor and defending human life and dignity.

• Welcome to Pope John Paul II – Cardinal Keeler

Departure Address at Baltimore-Washington International Airport

At the conclusion of his visit to the United States, the Holy Father expresses his gratitude to the American people. He calls upon America to remain true to its ideals of democracy as set forth in its founding documents and their vision of respect for the rights of the human person and for the dignity and sanctity of human life. Democratic government stands or falls with the moral truths which it embodies and promotes. His Holiness urges America to continue to serve the cause of justice, truth and human solidarity, to defend the culture of life and to put its trust in God.

Pope Francis visits Venice, says his work isn't easy

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• Pope makes flying visit to Venice, first trip of 2024
• Meets prisoners, youngsters and artists
• Three more Italy trips planned before major Asia tour

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Inside look at Pope Francis' visit to Venice from St. Mark's Square

With a message of hope and faith, this fifth Sunday of Easter, Pope Francis has left Italy's iconic canal-filled city of Venice, after an intense morning, that marked his first pastoral visit, and travel outside of Rome, since the start of the year. This day trip represents the first of others in Italy in the months to come, and falls before his whirlwind four-country Apostolic Visit to Asia and Oceania in September.

At the Holy Father's Mass in St. Mark's Square, the Holy Father offered comforting words to the faithful, telling them to remain in the Lord, clarifying that this does not mean staying still, but rather, letting the Lord's love and closeness empower us.

During his subsequent Regina Coeli address, before he privately venerated the relics of St. Mark, whose feast day was 25 April, inside St. Mark's Basilica, the Holy Father made heartfelt appeals for peace and an end to the suffering around the world, especially in Haiti, Ukraine, and the Holy Land.

First Pope to visit Venice Art Biennial

The Pope had arrived by helicopter, early this morning, in the women's prison on the Giudecca island to visit the Holy See Pavilion of the world-renowned Venice Art Biennial, a major international contemporary art exhibition. This year, the Biennial, which began in 1895, marks its 60th edition.

Pope Francis' visit also marked the first time a Pope has ever visited the event.

With the title ' With my eyes', the Pavilion, designed to remember in a special way human rights and the marginalized, was commissioned by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See, and curated by Chiara Paris and Bruno Racine. The Pavilion is housed inside the prison facility, the same prison where Pope St. John Paul II celebrated Mass when he visited Venice in 1985.

Encounters of joy and emotion

Upon Pope Francis' arrival to the prison, he held a moving encounter with detainees, which follows less than a month with his having washed the feet of women prisoners on Holy Thursday at the Rebbibia prison in Rome.

The Pope told the prisoners to always look to the future, to have hope, and that nothing can rob that hope. He also warmly urged them, smiling, to pray for him, before gifting them an icon of the Blessed Mother, reminding them of the exemplary, maternal tenderness of Mary. It was a very emotional encounter, bringing tears to the eyes of many.

Thereafter, Pope Francis met with artists associated with the pavilion, among others, in the prison chapel. After being welcomed by Cardinal Mendonça, he encouraged them in their creativity, as he had done a year ago when addressing artists in the Sistine Chapel.

This visit will be remembered as well for its images. It was quite a scene to see the Pope's transport by patrol boat across the canal during his time in the lagoon city, to the Basilica of Maria della Salute, for the meeting with young people. We even saw him humbly pass through the vaporetto stop, which is the ordinary transit stop for tourists.

There, he encouraged young people from Venice and Veneto to remember how precious they are to God, saying that even when they may feel they do not measure up, that they should try to see themselves as God sees them.

Across the canal

From there, to reach St. Mark's Square, for the day's culminating events, Pope Francis boarded his popemobile across a provisional bridge created upon boats that connected the area of the Santa Maria della Salute to St. Mark's Square. 

In the midst of all this, from what had been somewhat dreary, grey weather, the Holy Father, in time for the Mass, seemed to bring, with him, the sun.

While all this happened in very few hours, the impact and moments of Pope Francis' visit to Venice, surely, will never be forgotten.

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Pope visits Venice to speak to artists and inmates and finds a city taxing day-trippers like him

VENICE, Italy (AP) — Venice has always been a place of contrasts, of breathtaking beauty and devastating fragility, where history, religion, art and nature have collided over the centuries to produce an otherworldly gem of a city. But even for a place that prides itself on its culture of unusual encounters, Pope Francis’ visit Sunday stood out.

Francis traveled to the lagoon city to visit the Holy See’s pavilion at the Biennale contemporary art show and meet with the people who created it. But because the Vatican decided to mount its exhibit in Venice’s women’s prison, and invited inmates to collaborate with the artists, the whole project took on a far more complex meaning, touching on Francis’ belief in the power of art to uplift and unify, and of the need to give hope and solidarity to society’s most marginalized.

Francis hit on both messages during his visit, which began in the courtyard of the Giudecca prison where he met with the women inmates one by one. As some of them wept, Francis urged them to use their time in prison as a chance for “moral and material rebirth.”

“Paradoxically, a stay in prison can mark the beginning of something new, through the rediscovery of the unsuspected beauty in us and in others, as symbolized by the artistic event you are hosting and the project to which you actively contribute,” Francis said.

Francis then met with Biennale artists in the prison chapel, decorated with an installation by Brazilian visual artist Sonia Gomes of objects dangling from the ceiling, meant to draw the viewer’s gaze upward. He urged the artists to embrace the Biennale’s theme this year “Strangers Everywhere,” to show solidarity with all those on the margins.

“Art has the status of a ‘city of refuge,’ a city that disobeys the regime of violence and discrimination in order to create forms of human belonging capable of recognizing, including, protecting and embracing everyone,” Francis said.

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The Vatican exhibit has turned the Giudecca prison, a former convent for reformed prostitutes, into one of the must-see attractions of this year’s Biennale, even though to see it visitors must reserve in advance and go through a security check. It has become an unusual art world darling that greets visitors at the entrance with Maurizio Cattelan’s wall mural of two giant filthy feet, a work that recalls Caravaggio’s dirty feet or the feet that Francis washes each year in a Holy Thursday ritual that he routinely performs on prisoners.

Francis’ dizzying morning visit, which ended before lunchtime after Mass in St. Mark’s Square, represented an increasingly rare outing for the 87-year-old pontiff, who has been hobbled by health and mobility problems that have ruled out any foreign trips so far this year.

But it was also unusual because it came as Venice, sinking under rising sea levels and weighed down by the impact of overtourism, is in the opening days of an experiment to try to limit the sort of day trips that Francis undertook Sunday.

Venetian authorities last week launched a pilot program to charge day-trippers 5 euros ($5.35) apiece on peak travel days. The aim is to encourage them to stay longer or come at off-peak times to cut down on crowds and make the city more livable for its dwindling number of residents.

For Venice’s Catholic patriarch, Archbishop Francesco Moraglia, the new tax program is a worthwhile experiment, a potential necessary evil to try to preserve Venice as a livable city for visitors and residents alike.

“Venice has to be defended as a polis, as a city,” Moraglia said in an interview on the eve of Francis’ visit. “The city risks not being a city anymore; it risks being a cultural offering, an open-air museum.”

Moraglia said Francis’ visit — the first by a pope to the Biennale — was a welcome boost, especially for the women of the Giudecca prison who participated in the exhibit as tour guides and as protagonists in some of the artworks.

“These are places of sadness, of suffering, and for these people to have someone of global importance like the pope come to Venice to see them, is a real and concrete encouragement,” he said. “And there’s a message also to the city and to civil society: that those who make a mistake must pay, but they cannot be forgotten.”

Moraglia acknowledged that Venice over the centuries has had a long, complicated, love-hate relationship with the papacy, despite its central importance to Christianity.

The relics of St. Mark — the top aide to St. Peter, the first pope — are held here in the basilica, which is one of the most important in all of Christendom. Several popes have hailed from Venice — in the past century alone three pontiffs were elected after being Venice patriarchs. Venice hosted the last conclave held outside the Vatican: the 1799-1800 vote that elected Pope Paul VII.

But for centuries before that, relations between the independent Venetian Republic and the Papal States were anything but cordial as the two sides dueled over control of the church. Popes in Rome issued interdicts against Venice that essentially excommunicated the entire territory. Venice flexed its muscles back by expelling entire religious orders, including Francis’ own Jesuits.

“It’s a history of contrasts because they were two competitors for so many centuries,” said Giovanni Maria Vian, a church historian and retired editor of the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano whose family hails from Venice. “The papacy wanted to control everything, and Venice jealously guarded its independence.”

Moraglia said that troubled history is long past and that Venice was welcoming Francis with open arms and gratitude, in keeping with its history as a bridge between cultures, even opposing ones.

“The history of Venice, the DNA of Venice — beyond the language of beauty and culture that unifies — there’s this historic character that says that Venice has always been a place of encounter,” he said.

Winfield reported from Rome. Associated Press writer Colleen Barry contributed.