Unwitting travelers landing in Sydney this week might find no room at the inn: It's World Youth Day and at least 215,000 young Catholics are already registered to be in Sydney for the week, with more arriving unannounced.
Pope Benedict XVI has already turned up and is apparently staying in a retreat where even a pet cat has been provided to suit him. Parades and events run from Tuesday to Sunday this week, with the pope-mobile getting an outing on Thursday when the Papal Motorcade runs through downtown Sydney.
A recent Travel + Leisure survey put the city at number four on its list of the most popular places for travelers, so all these young Catholics should enjoy themselves. The only people who are really annoyed are the owners of expensive hotels--one place that youth don't tend to book.
Catholic saint and Capuchin monk Padre Pio has been exhumed and put on display in the town where he spent most of his life, San Giovanni Rotondo. Why dig him up now? Today is the 40th anniversary of his death.
His remains are on view at a massive church designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect and fellow Italian Renzo Piano. With enough indoor space for 30,000 worshippers, it's the second-largest church in the country after St. Peter's in Rome. (Which, if you wanna get technical, is in the Vatican City, not Italy.)
Canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002, Padre Pio was famous for bearing the stigmata and he is among the faith's most-loved saints. Be ready for a crowd if you head to San Giovanni Rotondo: Officials expect more than 15,000 pilgrims today alone.
His Holiness has arrived. Pope Benedict XVI has touched down at Andrews Air Force Base, where President Bush met him as he deplaned from Shepherd One. He's got plenty of meetings planned, but the pope will also be doing some tourist stuff. (Wednesday is the guy's 81st birthday, so we hope he has something fun planned!)
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by amandak
