Pope in surprise visit to Mentorella shrine

Pope Benedict slipped out of the Vatican unannounced for the first time in his papacy on Saturday, travelling to the same spot his predecessor did exactly 27 years ago to pray after being elected.

The Pontiff visited the shrine at Mentorella, in the mountains about 55 km northeast of Vatican City, where Pope John Paul II went on October 29, 1978.

John Paul had said that travelling to Mentorella, in what was the first of many pilgrimages outside Rome of his pontificate, had helped him to pray.

John Paul's trip, however, was an official visit that drew thousands of pilgrims. There were only dozens present for Benedict's surprise visit.

The Vatican did not offer many details, saying only that the German Pope had made a "private pilgrimage" to Mentorella and celebrated a mass in honour of the Madonna.

The statement was released only after he returned to the Vatican.

Collection
John Paul's car 'a piece of history'

A light blue 1975 Ford Escort GL once owned by Pope John Paul II was sold to a Houston multimillionaire who said he plans to put it in a museum he wants to build in his hometown.

"To me, it's a piece of history," said John O'Quinn, 62, a Baptist who said he has a collection of about 600 vehicles. "What a great human being Pope John Paul was."

AP