Pope Meets Migrants in Italy

Pope Francis is heading to Trieste in northeastern Italy on Sunday for a quick visit to meet migrants and celebrate an open-air Mass before a 12-day trip to Asia, the longest of his papacy. Following his visits to Venice in April and Verona in May, this half-day trip to Trieste marks the third visit within Italy this year for the 87-year-old pope, who has faced increasing health issues in recent years. Since traveling to the French city of Marseille in September 2023, the Argentine Jesuit’s travels have been limited to domestic trips. However, he plans to spend nearly two weeks in Asia in September to visit Indonesia, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor. The pope is scheduled to arrive in Trieste, a city with a population of 200,000 on the Adriatic Sea, at 8:00 AM (06:00 GMT) on Sunday. He will deliver a speech at the city's conference center to conclude a national Catholic event, in the presence of local authorities and the president of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi. The pope will meet with various groups from religious and academic backgrounds, along with migrants and the disabled. The papal visit is set to conclude with a Mass in the main public square of the city before the pope departs for the Vatican in the afternoon.