BANGKOK, Oct 29 (TNA) – Pope Francis will preside over a
Holy Mass with expected 70,000 Catholics on November 21 during the Apostolic
Visit to the Kingdom of Thailand, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand
(CBCT) says.
The CBCT on Monday released the final schedule for Pope
Francis’s visit from November 20 to 23.
Thailand will be the fourth Asian country to welcome His Holiness Pope
Francis in the Apostolic Visit at the invitation of the Royal Thai Government
and the CBCT.
The pontiff will arrive at Bangkok’s Military Air Terminal 2
on November 20 at 12.30 pm, the CBCT said.
On November 21, Pope Francis will attend an official welcome
ceremony at Government House, meeting with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha
before giving his first speech.
The Pope will later pay a visit to Somdet Phra Maha
Muniwong, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, at Wat Ratchabophit temple.
In the evening, he will visit His Majesty the King at the
Ambara Villa in Dusit Palace.
The pontiff would then celebrate Holy Mass in the National
Stadium where up to 70,000 Catholics from across Thailand and neighboring
countries had so far registered to attend, CBCT deputy secretary-general
Monseigneur Wissanu Thanya-anan said.
On the next day, the Pope will meet clergy, worshippers,
seminarians and catechists in Nakhon Pathom province. Then he will attend a meeting with the
bishops of Thailand and the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.
The Pope will depart Bangkok for Tokyo on November 23.
(TNA)
