Pope schedules back-to-back trips to Caserta, near Naples, one official and one private
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Pope Francis is planning rare back-to-back trips to the city of Caserta near Naples, one official and one private.
The Vatican said Thursday that the pope will hold an open-air Mass on Saturday to celebrate the city of Caserta's patron St. Anne and then return on Monday for a private meeting with a Protestant pastor who is a long-time friend.
Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said the pope organized a return trip "to distinguish" the public event from the private meeting. Lombardi said Francis knows the pastor, Giovanni Traettino, from ecumenical gatherings in Buenos Aires.
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Francis is scheduled to deliver the traditional Angelus blessing in St. Peter's Square on Sunday -- an appointment with the faithful he is no doubt eager to keep.