QUEBEC, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Pope Benedict XVI has turned down an invitation to help Quebec celebrate its 400th anniversary by celebrating mass there in June.
The year of festivities is turning into something of an embarrassment, The Montreal Gazette reported. St. John's, Newfoundland, has even challenged Quebec's claim to be the oldest city in Canada.
Cardinal Marc Ouellet, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Quebec, said the pope -- who is visiting the United States in April and Australia in July -- apparently thinks his schedule is crowded enough.
"Obviously, I'm disappointed, since his visit would have boosted the celebration of the International Eucharistic Congress and given Quebec City's 400th anniversary a global profile," Cardinal Ouellet said.
Another person who might have given the 400th anniversary a boost -- Queen Elizabeth II -- was not even invited.
St. John's Mayor Andy Wells argued this week that his city is the oldest because the earliest European settlement there dates back to 1583. Premier Jean Charest of Quebec responded by arguing that Quebec has a 42-year head start, since Jacques Cartier built a fort there in 1541.
