Cardinal blocks visit of Pope

The script was ready, the security was arranged and money was not the problem. Pope Francis had actually only had to say when he would come to Amsterdam. "Invite me out”, the Pope said last autumn l during a private audience with Bishop Jos Point Haarlem - Amsterdam.

However, that invitation never followed. A visit of the Pope to the Netherlands was stopped by Cardinal Wim Eijk. Sources close to the Dutch Bishops' Conference confirm this. The Cardinal feared a lack of enthusiasm for the Pope among the Dutch public.

On the autumn of 2013, Bishop Point presented his fellow bishops detailed plans for a one-day Papal visit to Amsterdam. This was to include in the programme a service at the Amsterdam Arena. In the Conference of Bishops' meeting last month, Cardinal Eijk said however: "The Holy Father and I have decided that it cannot go forward." The spokeswoman for the bishops' conference confirms this state of affairs.

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