, Mar 29, 2008 / 08:23 am (CNA).- SIRIUS Satellite Radio has announced that three Catholic channels will provide coverage for Pope Benedict XVI’s April visit to the United States.

In addition to coverage from the Catholic Channel, one channel will rebroadcast highlights of the Pope’s trip while another will broadcast historical speeches from past pontiffs.

The Catholic Channel, SIRIUS 159, will broadcast Papal events and hourly updates with the latest news and information on the Pope’s activities during his visit.  A press release from SIRIUS says that the Catholic Channel, an exclusive collaboration between SIRIUS radio and the Archdiocese of New York, will offer the “most comprehensive coverage available” of the Pope’s visits to Washington, D.C. and New York City. 

The Catholic Channel will carry all major Papal events and speeches live, including the Masses from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., Yankee Stadium and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, the Youth Rally at St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, and Pope Benedict's visits to the United Nations and Ground Zero. 

Hosts from the channel will broadcast live from the site of every public event.  Along with expert guests, the channel’s hosts will provide daily news and commentary on the papal visit and offer a forum for people throughout the United States to call in and discuss the historic event.

The Archbishop of New York, Edward Cardinal Egan, already hosts a show on the Catholic Channel. 

Another channel, Papal Playback on SIRIUS 143, will offer re-broadcasts of key moments from the Pope’s April trip, allowing listeners multiple opportunities to hear the Pope at his Masses and his public addresses.

Additionally, the Papal Archives Channel will air on SIRIUS channel 119 from Monday, April 14 through Sunday, April 20.  The channel’s archival recordings of Masses and speeches from historic papal visits will include Pope John Paul II’s 1979, 1987, and 1995 visits to the United States, Pope Paul VI’s 1965 visit, and an “extremely rare” recording of Pope Leo XIII singing the Ave Maria at the Vatican around 1902.

The Catholic Channel’s website is located at www.sirius.com/thecatholicchannel

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