Hide Article Text (OCR)
STATEDenver dreams of pope, president opening airportAssociated PressDENVER — City officials have visions of popes and presidents dancing in their heads.They dream of christening Denver International Airport with a landing by the pope and the president as the first travelers next summer. But they are encountering opposition from the Catholic Church.The proposal has turned into a serious consideration from its origins as merely wishful thinking, said Charles Ansbacher, head of the New World Airport Commission, which is planning opening ceremonies for the $2.7 billion airfield.The Rev. Edward Buelt, who is headingplanning for the pope’s visit, said Tuesday he has not received a formal request for the landing. He said he is willing to consider it, but citing Pope John Paul II’s tight schedule and the new airport’s distance from downtown, he leaned toward using Stapleton International Airport.The pope is scheduled to be in Denver for three days starting Aug. 13, 1993, to attend World Youth Day, which is expected to draw 60,000 Catholic youths from all over the world. Protocol has him being greeted by the president of the United States.The airport isn’t scheduled to open to the public until more than two months after thepope’s visit. But the Federal Aviation Ad-J**jgministration will begin flight testing next * April.It would be a wonderful christening fof? the facility,” Ansbacher said. It would emL * phasize the importance of the first new major U.S. airport in 20 years. Because ittsv* a closed construction site and the church doesn’t want a large crowd at the pope’s arrival, the new airport works better from a security standpoint than Stapleton, he said.But the demands of the Holy Father’s s , f schedule favor using Stapleton, only about7 miles from downtown, over Denver lntern*jr* tional, which is 25 miles away, Buelt aaidi,or
Newspaper Details
Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph
Colorado Springs, Colorado, US
Thu, Jun 04, 1992
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Marie M.
USA 03 Feb 2019
Other Publications Near Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs Gazette
Colorado Springs Independent
Colorado Springs Weekly Gazette
Ranchland Farm News
Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph
