Meeting in Baltimore today, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops heard the exciting news that Pope Benedict XVI will make his first trip to the United States next year, the first papal visit since 1999, the Washington Post reports.

Benedict will arrive in Washington in mid-April, visit the White House and hold a Mass at the new baseball stadium under construction just south of the Capitol. Later in the week he will address the United Nations and visit Ground Zero in New York, while celebrating Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral and Yankee Stadium.

The trip is Benedict's eighth since becoming Pope. He's already met President Bush, at a stop at the Vatican earlier this year.