I’ve long been an advocate of prohibiting any publicly-funded travel for the US president outside Washignton, DC. There is no essential duty of the presidency that cannot be carried out in DC, especially in the modern age of audio and video communications. No more in-person speeches to the UN, no more global romping, and certainly no attendance at “marches” in Paris, although some people seem to think this is the most essential thing in the world.

Unlike the presidency, the papacy is funded by private money, and not by taxes (the German bishops are another story), but I’ve come to the conclusion that Popes should also not be allowed to travel outside Rome or its immediate vicinity. He is, after all, the Bishop of Rome, and it’s simply not necessary for him to travel beyond the region. Moreover, when he does travel to foreign cities, local governments often end up picking up some of the tab for the cost of providing security and crowd control.

There are other problems, too. Manila, which is planning for a Papal visit, is in the midst of a logistical nightmare planning for security. How much of this will be paid for by the Filipino taxpayer? It’s not zero dollars, I’m sure.

Local governments should simply refuse to host these celebrity events where people get trampled and the costs of maintaining public order often run over budget.

And then there’s today’s news that the Pope had to cancel a meeting with the Sri Lankan bishops because he is “exhausted.” How much time, energy, and money is being expended for these trips, so that ultimately, the Pope (not a young man) is too tired to even keep up with the itinerary?

Just end it all now. The pope can still continue to host major global events like World Youth Day, at the same location in a place near Rome where costs can be contained and events can be well-run by an experienced international staff. Much like the Olympics, these huge events in a new place every few years are immensely inefficient and costly even to those who have no intention of even participating in the event.

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