Dates Set for Benedict XVI's Trip to Poland

May 25-28 Visit to Start in Warsaw

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 9, 2006 ( Zenit.org ).- Benedict XVI's second international apostolic trip will take him to Poland, where he will visit various key spots in the life of his predecessor.

Benedict XVI's first international apostolic trip took him to his own homeland when he went to Cologne , Germany , for World Youth Day last August. This coming May 25-28 he will visit the homeland of Pope John Paul II.

A communiqué issued Saturday by Joaqu ? n Navarro Valls, director of the Vatican press office, confirmed the dates and itinerary of the trip, which will have the motto: "Be Strong in the Faith."

According to the program, the Pope will arrive by airplane in Warsaw on Thursday, May 25. He will be officially welcomed to Poland in the capital, where he will spend the night.

The following day, Benedict XVI will travel by helicopter to the Shrine of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa . That same day he will go by helicopter to Krakow .

On Saturday, May 27, the Holy Father will visit Wadowice, Karol Wojtyla's birthplace, and then go to the Marian Shrine of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, often visited by Wojtyla in his childhood and youth. The Pope will return to Krakow where he will spend the night.

On Sunday, May 28, Benedict XVI will celebrate the concluding Mass of his trip and visit the site of the Auschwitz death camp. He will return to Krakow by car to bid farewell and then fly back to Rome on LOT Polish Airlines.

The Holy See will publish a detailed program of the visit as the dates approach.