Official itinerary of Pope Francis' Polish visit announced
The official programme of Pope Francis' visit to Poland has been announced. The pope will visit Poland on July 27-31. Krakow, the Jasna Gora shrine and Auschwitz-Birkenau have been included in the official itinerary, Bishop Damian Muskus announced on Thursday.
The pope, who will come to Poland to take part in World Youth Day, will also visit a children's hospital in Krakow-Prokocim (southern Poland), the bishop said.
This will be Pope Francis' first visit to Poland. The programme of the visit was presented during press conferences in Warsaw and Krakow on Thursday.
The pope will arrive in Poland in the afternoon on July 27. Later in the day the Holy Father will meet with President Andrzej Duda at Wawel Castle in Krakow, and later with Polish bishops.
On July 28, the pope will pay a visit to the Jasna Gora shrine where he will take part in a mass marking the 1,050th anniversary of the baptism of Poland.
The mass will be attended by the president and Poland's top-level authorities.
In the evening the pope will return to Krakow where he will receive symbolic keys to the city and have a tram ride to Krakow's Blonia Park.
On July 29 the pope will visit the former Nazi German death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau and the hospital in Krakow-Prokocim.
On July 30 the pope will visit the Sanctuary of God's Mercy in Lagiewniki and will celebrate a mass at St. John Paul II's Sanctuary. On the same day in the evening the pope will arrive at the Misericordiae Campus in Brzegi near Krakow where he will take part in a prayer vigil. On the last day of his visit to Poland, Pope Francis will celebrate a mass for WYD participants. And in the afternoon, before his departure for the Vatican, the pope will meet with WYD volunteers.
World Youth Day 2016 will take place in and around Krakow on July 26-31. Pope Francis will take part in the event from July 27 to 31. (PAP)
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