Pope to visit Panama in 2013
Panama - Pope Benedict XVI will visit
Panama in 2013 to celebrate the 500th
anniversary of the establishment of the
first Catholic Church in the Americas, the
Panamanian government announced.
The Panamanians say that the pontiff
conveyed his decision to make the visit
during his meeting with Panamanian President
Ricardo Martinelli, who is currently in
Italy, the presidency said in a statement
Friday.
The church of Santa Maria la Antigua del
Darien was built in Panama in 1510.
The Vatican has not confirmed plans for a
papal trip, and the report from Panama must
be considered unreliable. Pope Benedict, who
is 82 years old, has curtailed plans for
foreign trips and especially for
intercontinental travel, and the Vatican
rarely schedules trips four years in
advance.
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