Who’s going with the Pope to Turkey: (scroll down)

The Holy See has finalized the list of passengers who will accompany Pope Benedict XVI to Turkey on the papal flight on November 28. A papal suite of 30, plus 70 journalists, make 100. (101, with the Pope).

The thiry persons in the Pope’s suite include 5 cardinals, 2 bishops, 5 priests and 18 lay staff members.

The cardinals are: Cardinal Tarciso Bertone, making his first trip as Secretary of State; Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for christian Unity; Cardinal Ignace Moussa Daoud, Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches; Cardinal Paul Poupard, President of the Pontifical Councils for Culture and for Inter-Religious Dialog; and Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, Vice-Dean of the College of Cardinals, an experienced diplomat who performed many delicate missions for John Paul II and is also considered an expert in ecumenical relations.

The bishops are Mons. Leonardo Sandri, #3 man at the State Secretariat, with his assistant, Mons. Julio Murat, son of a Levantine family from Smyrna, Turkey, who has been with State since 1986;and Mons. Piero Marino, master of liturgical ceremonies for the Holy Father, with his assistant, the Polish Mons. Konrad Krajewski.

Then, the three men who are the Pope’s closest staff: Mons. Georg Gaenswein, private secretary; his assistant, Mons. Mieczyslaw Mokrycki; and the Pope’s valet, Paolo Gabriele.

There will be two doctors: Dr. Renato Buzzonetti, the Pope’s personal physician; and Dr. Patrizio Polisca, from the Vatican’s department of health and hygiene.

The Pope’s communications team will include Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican Press Office, Vatican Radio, and Vtaican TV; Prof. Mario Agnes, editor of L’Osservatore Romano; Arturo Mari, photographer; two technicians from Vatican Radio; and two cameramen from CTV.

Security personnel include Domenico Giani, inspector-general of the Vatican Gendarmerie (the Pope’s chief bodygard, in effect – his figure is quite familiar by now) with four other gendarmes; and two officers of the Swiss Guard.

Finally, Dr. Alberto Gasbarri, coordinator of papal trips, with his assistant Paolo Corvini, from the protocol office of the State Secretariat.

The moment the Pope arrives in Ankara; the following will become part of his entourage: the Apostolic Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Lucibello; the president of tehe Turkish bishops conference and Archbishop of Izmir, Capuchin Fr. Ruggero Franceschini; and the secretary to the Aposstolic Nuncio, Mons. Christoph-Zakia El-Kassis.