FAQs

When is Pope Benedict XVI coming to Catholic University?
Will Catholic University be open for classes those days?
How will access to campus be affected?
Why is the pope coming to the university?
Will I be able to attend the address?
Will anyone else have an opportunity to be on campus when the pope arrives on April 17?
I’m interested in going to one of the Masses that His Holiness will celebrate. How do I get a ticket?
I have a gift that I would like someone to present to the Holy Father. Will that be possible?
How will CUA students be affected by the pope’s visits on April 16 and 17?
Will CUA faculty and staff have access to campus buildings on April 16 and 17?
Is the pope going to visit any other universities in the United States?
Why did the pope decide to come to Catholic University?
When was the last time a pope visited Catholic University?
How many times has any pope visited Catholic University?

1. When is Pope Benedict XVI coming to Catholic University?
   
   The pope will be visiting the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception on the afternoon of Wednesday, April, 16, 2008. He will be at CUA’s Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center on the afternoon of Thursday, April 17.
    
2. Will Catholic University be open for classes those days?
   
   With the exception of the Columbus School of Law, all classes will be cancelled and all academic buildings will be closed on April 16. The entire university will be closed on April 17. 
   
3. How will access to campus be affected?
   
   On both April 16 and 17, we expect the neighborhood around Catholic University to be significantly affected as the U.S. Secret Service and the Metropolitan Police Department close roads and make preparations to handle crowds that are expected to gather. Though Metrorail will remain open both days, pathways to it from campus may have temporary detours. We anticipate that much neighborhood parking will be eliminated on those two days and on April 17, the day that the university is closed, there will be no parking on campus whatsoever. On April 16, CUA 's Edward J. Pryzbyla University Center will be open and operating on a normal schedule for students only, although the Pryz must close by 10 p.m.
   
   All students, faculty and staff will need to have a valid CUA photo ID with them as they enter and exit campus or travel on campus property during the times of the papal visit. Those who do not now have a valid CUA photo ID should acquire one soon by going to the Campus Transportation Management/ID Office in Leahy Hall. Those without valid IDs will not be admitted to the viewing area. For their own convenience, all members of the CUA community are strongly encouraged to wear lanyards containing their IDs during April 16 and 17. Free lanyards can be obtained at the campus Transportation Management/ID office.
    
4. Why is the pope coming to the university?
    
   He will be giving a one-hour address on Catholic education to a gathering composed of the presidents of U.S. Catholic universities and colleges as well as Catholic school superintendents representing each U.S. diocese or archdiocese. 
     
5. Will I be able to attend the address?
   
   No, the university/college presidents and diocesan education leaders will constitute the “invitation only” audience. There will be no other speeches on campus and no private audiences or meetings while the Holy Father is here. However, every CUA student, faculty and staff member will have the opportunity to see the Holy Father as he arrives on and departs from campus. 
    
6. Will anyone else have an opportunity to be on campus when the pope arrives on April 17?
   
   Yes. Very Rev. David M. O'Connell, C.M., president of the university, has invited Catholic students from local area universities to campus on April 17 to view the Holy Father as he departs campus in his popemobile. This is a ticketed event. Interested students should inquire at their university's campus ministry or Newman Center about obtaining a ticket. On April 16, CUA alumni as well as Catholic Church-sponsored organizations are being offered blocks of tickets. Tickets for individuals are not being offered on either April 16 or 17.
   
   
7. I’m interested in going to one of the Masses that His Holiness will celebrate. How do I get a ticket?
   
   Those tickets have already been distributed by the archdioceses of Washington and New York.
   
   For information on tickets to the pope's Mass at National's Park in D.C. go to http://www.adw.org/papalvisit/tickets.asp
   
   For information on tickets to the Mass in New York go to http://www.archny.org/papalvisit/tickets/.
    
8. I have a gift that I would like someone to present to the Holy Father.  Will that be possible?
   
   Unfortunately, there will be no opportunities to present or forward such gifts. 
    
9. How will CUA students be affected by the pope’s visits on April 16 and 17?
   
   CUA students have received detailed information on how the pope's visits will affect them. They can access that information by checking their CUA e-mail accounts. 
    
10. Will CUA faculty and staff have access to campus buildings on April 16 and 17?
    
    All academic buildings will be closed on April 6 and 17 (with the exception of the law school building, which will be open April 16 only). Only employees who are working on the papal visit or whose services are considered “essential” or required will be allowed into campus buildings that day. 
     
11. Is the pope going to visit any other universities in the United States?
    
    He will not be visiting any other universities during his visits to Washington, D.C., and New York City.
     
12. Why did the pope decide to come to Catholic University?
    
    Located in Washington, D.C., the first stop during the pope’s visit, The Catholic University of America is the national university of the Catholic Church in our country. It is the only papally chartered university in the United States and the only institution of higher learning sponsored by the nation’s bishops. 
     
13. When was the last time a pope visited Catholic University? 
    
    It has been 28 years since the last papal visit to the university. Pope John Paul II came to CUA on Oct. 7, 1979, a year after he had become pontiff.  The purpose of his visit at that time was to deliver an address on Catholic higher education. 
     
14. How many times has any pope visited Catholic University?
    
    As pope, only once, in 1979. Other men who eventually became pope, however, have visited the campus before their election to the papacy.