pope benedict

The Pope Makes A Historic Trip To England

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

Pope Benedict XVI Tours Earthquake Zone in Special Fiat Ducato Panorama Van

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Charity

The Pope can't just ride around in any old car. That's why he had to sell his Volkswagen before ascending from Cardinal to the Papacy. But the head of the Catholic church and head of state of Vatican City has a well-equipped motor pool at his disposal, including sport-utility vehicles donated to the Vatican by Volvo and BMW, a W12 Phaeton luxury sedan by Volkswagen, and of course the specially-made Popemobile from Mercedes-Benz. The latest, by comparisson, may seem the least prestigious, but desperate times call for desperate measures. So while touring the aftermath of the earthquake in Abruzzo, Italy, the Pope is riding around in a specially-equipped Fiat Ducato Panorama van.

The Ducato is one of the most prolific vehicles in Italy, with some 2 million on the road. But the Pope's, of course, is special, equipped with a white leather interior including a five-seater sofa, the latest electronics and deployable steps to allow the gowned pontiff easy ingress and egress.

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Tags: abruzzo, fiat, fiat ducato, fiat ducato panorama, FiatDucato, FiatDucatoPanorama, italy, joseph ratzinger, JosephRatzinger, pope, pope bendict xvi, pope benedict, pope fiat, PopeBendictXvi, PopeBenedict, PopeFiat, vatican

The Pope Speaks Out Against Luxury

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI spoke out against luxury. As part of his homily in St. Peter's Basilica to mark the Catholic feast day of the Epiphany, the Pope said that we are creating a world where the haves and the have-nots are far apart. He preached that moderate lifestyles can help redistribute wealth and ease the fight over natural resources calling for "a greater hope, which allows us to prefer the common good of all to the luxury of few and the poverty of many."

This is not the first time the Pope has taken a swing at luxury. Last June the Vatican issued a 'rules of the road' document that said cars should not be used "as a means for outshining other people and arousing a feeling of envy." Wise words, but the Pope may want to tend to his own garden first. in 2005, he reportedly received a BMW SUV and his taste for designer labels such as Prada and Gucci has been well-documented.

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Tags: epiphany, luxury, pope benedict, PopeBenedict, speech