Happy New Year to all.
As 2010 begins, it may be useful to lay out a rough sketch of the Vatican's major events for this year. There are several notable dates in the calendar, all of which we will be following here at The Vatican Lobby.
Jan. 17 - Benedict's visit to the Synagogue of Rome
April 17-18 - Benedict's trip to Malta
May ? - Benedict's trip to Portugal
May 2 - Benedict's pilgrimage to Turin, Italy
June 4-6 - Benedict's trip to Cyprus
June 9-11 - Events in the Vatican commemorating the church's "Year for Priests" theme
Sept. ? - Benedict's visit to Carpineto Romano, Italy
Sept. 17-19 - Benedict's trip to the United Kingdom
Oct. ? - Benedict's visit to Palermo, Italy
Oct. 10-24 - Synod on the Middle East
Looking at these dates, it is obvious that the pope plans to make this year one of the busiest of his pontificate. During all of it, he will be continuing to hammer away at his long-term ecumenical goals. As the Zenit news agency reports, "The year beginning today is. . .expected to bring forward causes that the German Pope has made a priority: advances in Christian unity, and unity with other religions, particularly Islam and Judaism."
I look forward to watching the Vatican yet again this year and reporting the most important themes and trends for my readers here on the blog.
