Let's do lunch the next time you're in Boston!

Over at Whispers in the Loggia, Rocco says the pope is coming to the USA in 2008 and that the itinerary includes Boston. Here's an excerpt from Rocco's report:

To paraphrase Paul Revere, and with especially good reason: Yanks, the Pope is coming.... The Pope is COMING!

Two weeks ago, preliminary plans for Benedict XVI's first US visit were disseminated among a handful of senior hierarchs at a DC meeting. In the days since, a rough sketch of the much-anticipated apostolic journey -- the first since 1999 -- has begun to emerge.

Currently slated to take place from 15-20 April 2008, the Tuesday-to-Sunday visit's official centerpiece will be a papal speech before the United Nations General Assembly in New York -- the prime cause for the US tour, which sprung from the pontiff's invitation to the UN headquarters by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Among other events in the Big Apple, the Pope is also slated to celebrate Mass at Central Park alongside, of course, an address and prayers in St Patrick's Cathedral and moment of reflection at Ground Zero.

Alongside the "capital of the world," what could well be Benedict's only on-ground exposure to America and its 70 million Catholics looks set to be concentrated strictly to the East Coast. Though another stop or two remain a distinct possibility -- with Baltimore the most likely addition -- also already confirmed on the papal itinerary are Washington and Boston. The latter's coveted place on the schedule represents a marked victory for Cardinal Sean O'Malley, whose invitation to the pontiff was said to have been initially declined, then accepted only after a firm push by the Capuchin cardinal, who's believed to enjoy a particularly high standing in B16's eyes.

I've not heard anything about this on the local scene, but Rocco's track record on such items is pretty reliable. Beginning on the first Sunday of Advent 2007, the Archdiocese of Boston will begin a celebration of its bicentennial. Not a bad time for a papal visit!