Pope to Visit Tomb of St. Augustine
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI is traveling to northern Italy for a weekend pilgrimage that will take him to the tomb of St. Augustine, the 5th century theologian who is particularly dear to him.
Benedict is scheduled to celebrate Mass on Saturday afternoon in Vigevano, southwest of Milan, and then on Sunday in Pavia, where the remains of St. Augustine lie in the basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro.
During the trip, the pontiff is expected to visit a local hospital and deliver a speech on culture at Pavia's university.
St. Augustine, who lived from 354-430, had a tremendous impact on Christianity and his writings - among them "City of God" and "Confessions" - are considered by many to be the foundations of western theology.
Benedict is particularly fond of St. Augustine and wrote his doctoral thesis on him in 1953. This year marks the 750th anniversary of the formation of the Augustinians as a single religious order.
Unlike his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, the 80-year-old Benedict has limited his travel. In his two-year pontificate, he has made only a handful of pilgrimages within Italy and beyond. He is due to travel to Brazil next month - his first trip to the Americas as pope.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI is traveling to northern Italy for a weekend pilgrimage that will take him to the tomb of St. Augustine, the 5th century theologian who is particularly dear to him.
Benedict is scheduled to celebrate Mass on Saturday afternoon in Vigevano, southwest of Milan, and then on Sunday in Pavia, where the remains of St. Augustine lie in the basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro.
During the trip, the pontiff is expected to visit a local hospital and deliver a speech on culture at Pavia's university.
St. Augustine, who lived from 354-430, had a tremendous impact on Christianity and his writings - among them "City of God" and "Confessions" - are considered by many to be the foundations of western theology.
Benedict is particularly fond of St. Augustine and wrote his doctoral thesis on him in 1953. This year marks the 750th anniversary of the formation of the Augustinians as a single religious order.
Unlike his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, the 80-year-old Benedict has limited his travel. In his two-year pontificate, he has made only a handful of pilgrimages within Italy and beyond. He is due to travel to Brazil next month - his first trip to the Americas as pope.