Pope Benedict XVI will visit Portugal next May
Pope Benedict XVI will visit Portugal next May, with stops in Lisbon, Porto and Fatima, as announced by church officials, last Monday.
During his visit, which will take place between May 11 and 14, the pope will meet Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva and socialist Prime Minister José Socrates.
On the evening of the first day of his visit he will celebrate an open-air mass in the capital Lisboa, at Comercio Square, said Portugal's episcopal conference. The highlight of the trip is expected to be his visit to Fatima, 130 kilometres (80 miles) north of the capital.
The town has been a favourite with pilgrims since 1917, when three young shepherds said the Virgin Mary had appeared to them there.
The pope will celebrate vespers - evening prayers - in Fatima's Church of the Most Holy Trinity on May 13, the 93rd anniversary of the first of the six reported visions.
Every year, this anniversary celebration attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world. The church, a massive 12,300 square metres (132,000 square feet), is one of the biggest in the world.
The pontiff will end his visit in Porto, where he will celebrate another open-air mass on the Avenida dos Aliados in the city centre.
It will be Pope Benedict's first visit to Portugal.
