Pope Leaves for 10-day Pilgrimage to Australia

SelectPlusPope Leaves for 10-day Pilgrimage to AustraliaPope Leaves for 10-day Pilgrimage to AustraliaThe Associated PressPope Benedict XVI left Rome on a flight to Australia for a 10-day pilgrimage. His journey centers around the Catholic Church's World Youth Day events, which include a vigil service with a crowd of young people and an outdoor Mass. (July 12)[Notes:ANCHOR VOICE] [Notes:Dateline: Rome][Notes:Various vid of Pope boarding plane] Pope Benedict the sixteenth is on his way down under for a 10-day pilgrimage.The pontiff boarded a special Alitalia flight from Rome ... with destination Sydney, Australia.His trip will focus on the Church's World Youth Day events. [Notes:Italian Pilgrim, Vox pop: "It's an important occasion to confirm our faith and to meet other young people from all over the world."][Notes:Dateline: Brisbane, Australia] [Notes:Various vid pilgrims in Australia]Already about six-thousand young Catholics took to the streets of Brisbane ahead of the celebrations. Pilgrims from Italy, Spain, France and Germany are among those visiting Sydney for the event. [Notes:Spanish Pilgrim, Vox pop: "We hope this can help the people here as this has helped us."] [Notes:Dateline: Sydney]The papal visit is Australia's biggest public event since the 2000 Olympics.It's also the longest trip of Pope Benedict's three-year-old papacy...and will be a test of the 81-year-old pontiff's stamina.He's scheduled to return to Italy on July 21. ___ ___, The Associated Press.(****END****)

Author: AssociatedPress
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Tags: 10-day  australia  pilgrimage  pope