Pope Francis visits Venice in his first foreign trip in seven months

Pope Francis arrives in Venice on Sunday on a surprise visit, marking his first trip outside of Rome in seven months due to his unstable health condition.

Since he visited Marseille in September 2023, Jorge Bergoglio has not traveled abroad. His respiratory infection forced him to cancel his trip to Dubai in December, and his fragile health condition has kept him from traveling.

In his first visit to Venice since his election in 2013, the Pope intends primarily to reassure his ability to carry out his duties, following concerns raised after a bout of fatigue during Easter celebrations a few weeks ago.

The Pope is scheduled to arrive by helicopter at 08:00 (06:00 GMT) at the women's prison on Giudecca Island. He will then address the youth at 10:00 (08:00 GMT) in front of the famous church of Santa Maria della Salute.

After this trip, the Argentine Jesuit is scheduled to make two more trips to northern Italy, to Verona in May and Trieste in July.

Pope Francis will also visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore in September, as announced by the Vatican on Friday, in a 12-day tour covering 30,000 kilometers, marking his longest trip since his election in 2013.

AFP