Pope to visit Czech Republic in September

Pope Benedict XVI is due to visit the Czech Republic in the second half of September. The pope informed representatives of the Czech Roman Catholic church of his plans to visit the country, a spokesperson for the Czech Bishops’ Conference said on Wednesday, adding that the pontiff’s stay was likely to last two or three days. The Vatican has not yet announced the exact dates; its policy is to do so only six months before a planned papal trip. Pope Benedict XVI’s predecessor John Paul II visited the Czech Republic three times.