After 39 years, Luxembourg is once again expecting a papal visit. Only for eight hours, but still.
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Is he coming or not? Well, yes, he is coming. If you're reading this, he's probably already here or just approaching Findel, where the head of the Church will be welcomed by the very devout Grand Ducal couple and (we assume) the not-so-devout Prime Minister Luc Frieden. Incidentally, the fact that the Pope is coming to Luxembourg at all is not thanks to the diocese, but to the Grand Duke, who invited him.
When it was announced on Monday that the 87-year-old Pope had a mild case of flu and was taking some time off for health reasons, panic may have briefly broken out in the Grand Ducal Palace and the Bishop's Palace. But the sigh of relief was probably all the greater when the all-clear was given on Tuesday: The pontiff had resumed his official duties.
This time – thank God (or whoever)! – the visit was not as ill-fated as 39 years ago, when the cathedral tower collapsed after a fire shortly before the Pope's first ever visit to Luxembourg – and on a Good Friday of all days (we will never forget the sight of the burning tower, as we were crossing the Pont Adolphe at the right time for once).
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