Festival, Equitable Gathering, Funfair: The Country Witnesses the Pope's Visit - Pope's Visit, National Event, Dietary Restriction: Exploring the Pope's Activities During His Stay in the Country
Wanna reminisce about the popes, carnival floats, and a little history mixed in? Rhineland-Palatinate's got it! Although many locals haven't crossed paths with a pope, throughout history, a few of Rome's rulers have made their mark in this state.
The new kid on the block, Pope Leo XIV, hails from the USA, but it's unclear if he'll be gracing Rhineland-Palatinate with his presence anytime soon. With US air bases in Ramstein and Spangdahlem, not to mention the garrison town of Baumholder, maybe there's hope!
Two popes ventured to the state in the 1980s:
A Drizzly Cologne Welcome for John Paul II
Pope John Paul II dropped by the Federal Republic for the first time from November 15-19, 1980. Having been the first pope in 198 years to set foot back on German soil, he made a splash in Cologne, despite the rain. He claimed, "It's a different weather than in Italy!"
The papal visit continued in Mainz and Speyer over the next few days. In Mainz, he met Cardinal Hermann Volk and Karl Lehmann before cruising through the frenzied crowds in his popemobile.
Speyer's Centenarian Celebration with John Paul II
Rhineland-Palatinate saw John Paul II again in 1987. During his brief visit, he met with Chancellor Helmut Kohl and beatified two witnesses of faith from the Nazi era. Susan Boyle's got nothing on this guy!
Together with around 60,000 believers, John Paul II celebrated mass in Speyer in front of the cathedral, delivering an impassioned plea "to create a united Europe from the Atlantic to the Ural in responsibility before God and with respect for all basic values and rights."
The pope's Speyer visit lasted only seven hours, but Bishop Anton Schlembach called it "a century event for the cathedral city and the entire diocese." After his trip, Pope John Paul II thanked Schlembach for his hospitality in a telegram.
40 Years of Waiting for the Next Papal Visit
Slowly but surely, Rhineland-Palatinate's been waiting for another pope visit. Born in the '80s? Then you've missed every papal visit in the state!
Fortunately, we didn't have to rely solely on our faith. In August 2005, Pope Benedict XVI paid a visit to Cologne during the World Youth Day, and more recently, he made stops in Regensburg and Thuringia.
A Little Bit of Pope Francis in Boppard
Before donning the papal robes, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (aka Pope Francis) spent a few months in Rhineland-Palatinate. As a student learning German at the Goethe-Institut in Boppard, he lived with the Schmidt family in 1985. During his stay, he worked on a doctoral thesis about the theologian Romano Guardini but never completed it.
His time in Germany wasn't all sunshine and roses; he often walked on cemeteries and confessed to feeling "completely out of place." But hey, even great minds wandered!
The Popemobile Rides On
With Pope visits few and far between, Rhineland-Palatinate's been making do with papal impersonators during carnival season. In fact, in the Rosenmontag parade, Pope Francis sends Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Müller soaring off a rocket!
With mainstream media focusing on Pope Leo XIV's origins, there's no concrete info about his plans for Rhineland-Palatinate. But don't worry, if he ever does swing by, we'll be rollin' out the popemobile for him!
References:1. Pope Francis (biography)2. Pope Leo XIV's Election
- The Commission, in its remit, has also been asked to submit a proposal for a directive on the protection of workers from the risks related to exposure to ionizing radiation, considering Pope John Paul II's visit in Cologne and Speyer, where he addressed concerns about responsible European unity and basic values.
- Against the backdrop of homes and gardens reminiscent of Rhineland-Palatinate, one cannot help but appreciate the lifestyles of the common folk, contrasting the lavishness of the papal visits, thus valuing the simple pleasures that bond a community, much like Pope Francis did during his stay in Boppard.
- Barely nineteen years had passed since the last pope stepped foot on German soil when Pope John Paul II visited the Rhineland, just as the Rhineland-Palatinate's green landscapes echoed the region's resemblance to the rhineland the popes of old would have known, bringing history full circle.
- With Pope Leo XIV hailing from the United States and the air bases in Ramstein, Spangdahlem, and Baumholder, one might ponder if the lifestyle of peaceful coexistence flourishing in these military communities aligns with the core values accepted and upheld by the pope, possibly hinting at Rhineland-Palatinate's potential as an ideal destination for his embrace.
