Royal Randwick lined up for Pope visit on a bumper weekend for Sydney
Sydney will host the Catholic Church's International Eucharistic Congress in 2028 and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has invited the new head of the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV, to attend.
The American pontiff is yet to take up the offer, but the church has begun devising plans in the event he does, and Royal Randwick has been discussed as a favoured site for a large-scale public gathering.
It's understood that the Saturday of the September-October long weekend that year has been raised as an option for a papal Mass in Sydney.
Such timing would force racing's $1.5 million Epsom Handicap to be relocated from Royal Randwick and potentially cause disruption around the NRL grand final, which is typically played on the first Sunday of October. It would also be the same day as the AFL grand final in Melbourne.
The church congress, which Sydney is holding in 2028 for the first time in a century, is being organised by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney, which said dates and venues were still to be determined.
'There have been several dates touted for the [congress], but we are keeping options open because we are excited about the potential of having Pope Leo here and will obviously work around his availability, if he accepts the invite,' said Benjamin Galea, chief operating officer for the International Eucharistic Congress.
'Estimates of pilgrim numbers and sourcing of venues will differ greatly depending on whether we get our first papal visit in 20 years, and so these early stages are planning for several different possibilities.'
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Daily Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
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West Australian
2 hours ago
- West Australian
Volodymyr Zelenskyy to meet Trump in Washington after summit with Putin secured no deal to end war in Ukraine
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Mr Trump did not speak to reporters on his flight back to Washington. When his plane landed, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Mr Trump was on the phone with NATO leaders after a long call with Mr Zelenskyy. Uncharacteristically, Mr Trump then disembarked Air Force One without speaking to reporters. He didn't respond to shouted questions about the phone calls as he climbed into his limousine. Mr Trump spoke with Zelenskyy, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish President Karol Nawrocki, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, European Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podesta said. She gave no details of the conversation. European leaders who, like Mr Zelenskyy, didn't have a place at the table at the summit, issued a statement later, stating their continue support for Ukraine would continue, as would their pressure on Russia. 'It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force,' the statement said. Mr Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said on Russian state television a potential trilateral meeting had not been raised in US-Russia discussions. 'The topic has not been touched upon yet,' Mr Ushakov said. Russian attacks on Ukraine continued, using one ballistic missile and 85 Shahed drones, 61 of which were shot down, Ukraine's Air Force said. Frontline areas of Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk and Chernihiv were attacked. The US President had wanted to show off his deal-making skills, while Mr Putin wanted to negotiate a deal that would cement Russia's gains, block Kyiv's bid to join the NATO military alliance and eventually pull Ukraine back into Moscow's orbit. 'We had an extremely productive meeting and many points were agreed to,' Mr Trump said while standing next to Mr Putin. 'And there are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there.' He continued: 'We didn't get there.' For Mr Putin, just being on US soil for the first time in more than a decade was validation after his ostracisation following his invasion of Ukraine. His meeting with Mr Trump may stall the economic sanctions the US President had promised unless Moscow worked harder to bring the fighting to a close. It also may simply lead to more meetings, giving his forces more time to make progress on the battlefield. Mr Putin said Russia and the United States should 'turn the page and go back to co-operation'. He praised Mr Trump as someone who 'has a clear idea of what he wants to achieve and sincerely cares about the prosperity of his country, and at the same time shows understanding that Russia has its own national interests'. 'I expect that today's agreements will become a reference point not only for solving the Ukrainian problem, but will also mark the beginning of the restoration of businesslike, pragmatic relations between Russia and the US,' Mr Putin said. Despite not reaching any major breakthrough, Mr Trump ended his remarks by thanking Mr Putin and saying, 'we'll speak to you very soon and probably see you again very soon'. When Mr Putin smiled and offered, 'next time in Moscow', Mr Trump said 'that's an interesting one' and said he might face criticism but 'I could see it possibly happening'. During the interview with Fox News, Mr Trump bragged Mr Putin echoed many of the US President's long-standing grievances, including about the 2020 US election. This suggests that Mr Putin, a former KGB officer, may have left Mr Trump with the impression that he'd notched a big win even as he left empty-handed. When Mr Trump and Mr Putin arrived in Alaska, they had greeted each other with a warm handshake, chatting almost like old friends, and gripped hands for an extended period on a red carpet rolled out at the military base. As they chatted, Mr Putin grinned and pointed skyward, where B-2s and F-22s — military aircraft designed to oppose Russia during the Cold War — flew overhead. The two then shared the US presidential limo for a short ride to their meeting site, with Mr Putin offering a broad smile as they rolled past the cameras. It was the kind of reception typically reserved for close US allies and belied the bloodshed and suffering in the war Mr Putin started in Ukraine. Although not altogether surprising considering their longtime friendly relationship, such outward friendliness likely raised concerns from Mr Zelenskyy and European leaders, who fear Mr Trump is primarily focusing on furthering US interests and not pressing hard enough for Ukraine's. Russia and Ukraine remain far apart in their demands for peace. Mr Putin has long resisted any temporary ceasefire, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies and a freeze on Ukraine's mobilization efforts, which are conditions rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies. The meeting comes as the war has caused heavy losses on both sides and drained resources. Ukraine has held on far longer than some initially expected since the February 2022 invasion, but it is straining to hold off Russia's much larger army, grappling with bombardments of its cities and fighting for every inch on the over 600-mile (1,000-kilometer) front line. Alaska is separated from Russia at its closest point by less than 5km and the international date line. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson was crucial to countering the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It continues to play a role today, as planes from the base still intercept Russian aircraft that regularly fly into US airspace.
Perth Now
3 hours ago
- Perth Now
'Glimmer of hope': leaders react to Trump-Putin summit
WORLD LEADERS REACT TO THE TRUMP-PUTIN SUMMIT ON UKRAINE UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY ON X: "We support President Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia. "It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America. We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine's security." JOINT STATEMENT BY EUROPEAN LEADERS: "We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We welcome President Trump's statement that the US is prepared to give security guarantees. "We are determined to do more to keep Ukraine strong in order to achieve an end to the fighting and a just and lasting peace ... We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia's war economy. "Ukraine can count on our unwavering solidarity as we work towards a peace that safeguards Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests." UK PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER "President Trump's efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia's illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended. "I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. "In the meantime, until he stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions ... "Our unwavering support for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes." FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON ON X: "It will also be essential to learn all the lessons of the past 30 years, and in particular Russia's well-established propensity to fail to keep its own commitments. "We will continue to work closely with President Trump and President Zelenskiy to ensure that our interests are preserved in a spirit of unity and responsibility. "France continues to stand resolutely by Ukraine's side." ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI: "A glimmer of hope has finally opened to discuss peace in is doing its part, along with its Western allies." GERMAN CHANCELLOR FRIEDRICH MERZ: "Ukraine can count on our unwavering solidarity as we work towards a peace that safeguards Ukraine's and Europe's vital security interests," Merz said in a post on X. EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT URSULA VON DER LEYEN ON X: "The EU is working closely with President Zelenskiy and the United States to reach a just and lasting peace. Strong security guarantees that protect Ukrainian and European vital security interests are essential." EU CHIEF DIPLOMAT KAJA KALLAS: "The US holds the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. The EU will work with Ukraine and the US so that Russia's aggression does not succeed and that any peace is sustainable. Moscow won't end the war until it realises it can't continue. So Europe will continue to back Ukraine, including by working on a 19th Russia sanctions package. HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN ON FACEBOOK: "For years we have watched the two biggest nuclear powers dismantle the framework of their co-operation and shoot unfriendly messages back and forth. That has now come to an end. Today the world is a safer place than it was yesterday."
