Pope Benedict XVI

Buy A Piece Of The Pope's Red Carpet

Last week the Pope went on a whirlwind tour through the United Kingdom, the first papal visit in decades. Paul Fraser Collectibles has an intriguing memento of the occasion, the red carpet touched by the papal shoes after he performed mass at Westminster Cathedral. The Pope spent 12 minutes on this carpet as he was greeted by 2,500 young Catholics and he blessed a candle stand as a symbol for the Catholic youth. Instead of marketing the carpet as a single entity, the company is selling ½" x ½" squares of the carpet for £29.97 each. 10 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Westminster Cathedral Charity toward the upkeep of the cathedral.

Tags: Pope Benedict XVI, pope red carpet, westminster cathedral

The Pope Makes A Historic Trip To England

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

It's been a couple of decades since a Pope has visited the United Kingdom (the last was Pope John Paul II in 1982). Pope Benedict XVI has kicked off a four-day visit that started in Scotland with a visit with the Queen at The Palace of Holyrood House. After that the Pope took part in a parade and a mass in Glasgow. Along the way he has been answering questions about the Catholic Church's response to the claims of child abuse by priests. AOL News reports that many groups are planning "Protest the Pope" demonstrations.

Pope Benedict XVI will fly to London on Thursday night and will meet with religious and political leaders, including prime minister David Cameron. On Saturday he will take part in a vigil at London's Hyde Park with a beatification Mass in honor of 19th century cardinal John Henry Newman to follow in Birmingham on Sunday.

The visit will cost over £12 million not including security. The Daily Mail reported that Vatican officials who will accompany the Pope will stay in a luxury hotel where rooms cost up to £900 a night which will be paid by the UK government. The 11 members of Pope Benedict XVI's entourage will also have a daily spending allowance of £150 for the trip.Some have questioned why the government is paying these expenses instead of the Roman Catholic Church. The hotel has not been identified but a chapel will be set up in its private dining room to accommodate the spiritual needs of the group. The Pope himself will stay in the Papal Nuncio's residence at Wimbledon. A special website has been set up with details on the visit, providing Twitter updates, Flickr shots and livestreaming of key events.

Tags: papal visit, papal visit to UK, Pope Benedict, Pope Benedict XVI

CharityBuzz Auctions Italian Lots For Charity

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Charity

Italian style in all its fabulousness forms the focus of Charitybuzz's first international charity auction. The auction is a debut for the launched charitybuzzEurope platform and benefits the Robert F. Kennedy Foundation of Europe. The auction runs until July 8 and includes uniquely Italian experiences like the chance to meet Andrea Bocelli backstage after you see him perform in Tuscany, Italy; lunch with Ferruccio Ferragamo, chairman of Ferragamo; a day with Franca Sozzani, Vogue Italia Editor in Chief; a papal mass with Pope Benedict XVI and tour of the Vatican; a weekend of wine tasting at the Ferrari Estate in Trent and a day on the set of Giovanni Veronesi's upcoming movie, "Manuale d'Amore 3" plus two tickets to the premiere in Rome, Italy.

"By bidding on these incredible experiences, people will be supporting cutting-edge human rights defenders from around the world, including those fighting for the right to water and reconstruction in Haiti, the victims of the BP oil disaster, citizens of Darfur working for the peace process, and more," said Kerry Kennedy, honorary president of RFK Europe. "And, donors will help the next generation, including 180,000 Italian high school students now enrolled in the Speak Truth to Power human rights education curriculum, learning how to make change for a more just and peaceful world."

Tags: andrea bocelli, charity auction, charitybuzz, ferruccio ferragamo, franca sozzani, Pope Benedict, Pope Benedict XVI, rfk foundation, robert f kennedy