Source : Perth Now news
Pope Leo’s Sydney visit will coincide with one of NSW’s biggest events of the year and take place on the same weekend as the NRL Grand Final.
Pope Leo XIV is expected to visit the Harbour City on the 2028 October long weekend to preside over the International Eucharistic Congress (IEC).
The event will mark the 100th anniversary of Australia’s first IEC that was held in Sydney in 1928.
Earlier this year, Bishop Richard Umbers said logistics were still being worked out but he expected hundreds of thousands of people to descend on Sydney if Pope Leo visits.
It is expected His Holiness will take part in a papal procession, Mass and week-long conference with many of Australia’s five million Catholics expected to take part.
Nine newspapers reported the Pope’s Mass will likely be held at Royal Randwick, while the NRL Grand Final is played in the city’s west at ACCOR Stadium it will put pressure on Sydney’s public transport and road networks.
The NRL and State Government will not yet comment on whether any consideration has been given to moving the 2028 Grand Final so it does not clash with the Pope’s visit, which is expected to draw huge crowds from across the Australia and overseas.
Sydney is the homeland of rugby league in Australia and has hosted the NRL Grand Final every year since rugby league began in Australia in 1908, except for the Covid affected 2021 season.
The event has drawn crowds in excess of 100,000 people from across Australia and New Zealand.
It is not known if the event will move to another weekend, interstate or whether Sydney will host the Grand Final the same weekend as the Pope.
