ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has added a stop in Luxembourg to a trip to Belgium in September, a three-day visit that will come as he is recovering from a much longer and challenging trip to Asia.
The Vatican on Monday announced the Sept. 26-29 dates of the planned trip, saying Francis would first stop in Luxembourg and then travel onto Brussels, Leuven and Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium.
Belgium’s bishops had previously announced that Francis was coming to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the country’s two main Catholic universities. Francis’ stop in Luxembourg is apparently something of a nod to Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the Jesuit archbishop of Luxembourg who is playing a major role in Francis’ big synod, a years-long reform project for the Catholic Church.
The Luxembourg and Belgium visit is scheduled to begin less than two weeks after Francis returns from the longest and most challenging foreign trip of his pontificate, a Sept. 2-13 voyage to Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore.
Pentagon vows to keep weapons moving to Ukraine as Kyiv faces a renewed assault by Russia
4 people die in Croatia when car carrying migrants hits a wall as driver attempts to flee police
Japan's economy shrank more than expected in the first quarter
Company wins court ruling to continue development of Michigan factory serving EV industry
Robert Fico: Slovakian leader is in stable but serious condition, hospital says
West Virginia GOP Senate president, doctor who opposed drawing back vaccine laws ousted in election
Who is Robert Fico? Slovakia Prime Minister shot multiple times
Independent UN experts urge Yemen’s Houthis to free detained Baha'i followers
Benefits cheat secretly filmed running when she claimed she could barely walk jailed for TWO years
Election 2024: Biden and Trump bypassed the Commission on Presidential Debates
All eyes are on Coppola in Cannes. Sound familiar?