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Pope Francis to make first trip outside Rome in 7 months amid concerns over his health
- The pontiff has suffered increasing health problems in recent years, from knee pain to surgery for a hernia and on his colon
- He is scheduled to undertake a trip to Asia in September, including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore over 12 days
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Pope Francis will visit Venice on Sunday, his first trip outside Rome in seven months, which will be closely watched amid concerns over the 87-year-old’s fragile health.
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The Argentine pontiff has toured the world in his 11 years as head of the Catholic Church, but has not travelled since visiting the French city of Marseille in September.
He was forced to cancel a trip to Dubai in December, where he was to have addressed UN climate talks, due to a bout of bronchitis.
And he pulled out of an Easter event at the last minute in March, after suffering for several weeks from what the Vatican called a “light flu”.
In Venice, the pope’s first stop will be a women’s prison on the island of Giudecca, which houses the Vatican’s entry for this year’s Biennale festival of art.
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Pope Francis washes the feet of 12 female inmates in break with Holy Week past
Pope Francis washes the feet of 12 female inmates in break with Holy Week past
At the former convent which now houses long-term prisoners, Francis – who has long championed the rights of marginalised people – will meet with some of the 80 inmates and visit the exhibition.
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