Have Papal Vestments, Will Travel

Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 04.20.05 | 9:30 PM ET

Is the new pope, Benedict XVI, a big traveler? Only time will tell whether he racks up the kind of frequent flyer miles John Paul II did. An interesting AP story in USA Today noted recently that John Paul II “made jet travel a hallmark of his papacy.”

According to the article, John Paul II traveled overseas 104 times and visited more than 120 countries. He was the first pope to visit Poland, Cuba, South Africa and many other nations. But not even John Paul II could pull off a few trips: “A visit to China, where papal authority over Catholics is not recognized, appeared out of the question, while a stop in Moscow couldn’t be arranged because of disputes with the Russian Orthodox Church.”