What criticism there is of the papal trips comes mostly from people outside of Rome.

As is usually the case on papal trips inside Italy, he did not kneel to kiss the ground.

Fact is, papal trips have had their greatest impact on countries where the situation is truly desperate.

It was the first papal trip to a predominantly Orthodox country in more than 1,000 years.

Among some Indians, regrets about the 1984 papal trip go further.

Mostly, the Vatican is aware that all papal trips receive intense news media coverage and carry resounding political messages.

Other papal trips have been marked by disturbances, most recently when protesters clashed with the police in the Netherlands in 1985.

During a papal trip to Denver, for instance, she had noticed that the Pope was wearing sneakers.

Soviet and Vatican officials said there was no discussion of a papal trip to the Soviet Union.

Sessions with local religious leaders are standard procedure on all papal trips.