With an average of three foreign journeys per year from 2006 to 2009,
Pope Benedict XVI has been as active in
visiting other countries as
his predecessor, John Paul II, was at the same age from 1999 to 2002.
Most of these trips involve the Pope giving speeches on issues that play an important role in the region that he visits, especially on education, contraceptives, abortion, and what it means to be Catholic.
2005
Germany I (August 18 to August 21, 2005)
The Pope arrived in
Germany on August 18 to participate in the
20th World Youth Day in
Cologne. There he met with President
Horst Köhler, Chancellor
Gerhard Schröder, Leader of the Opposition
Angela Merkel and others, and visited the famous
Cologne Cathedral. The Pope visited the
synagogue of the Jewish community in Cologne, which is the oldest Jewish community in the world north of the Alps. Benedict and his immediate predecessor John Paul II are the only two
popes since St. Peter known to have visited a synagogue. He also spoke with representatives of the
Muslim and
Protestant communities of Cologne. On August 21, he led a Mass at
Marienfeld.
2006
Poland (May 25 to May 28, 2006)
The Pope began his visit just after 11 a.m. on May 25, landing at the
Okęcie Military Airport in
Warsaw. Throughout his visit, he often spoke a few sentences of
Polish, which he had learned phonetically. After a welcoming ceremony, Benedict drove in his popemobile to
St. John's Cathedral, where he met and addressed a thousand...
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