After 8.15 am (local time), Pope Francis’ plane took off from the international airport Fiumicino from Rome to Luxembourg, the first stop on his brief but intense trip to the heart of Europe.
This afternoon, it will take off again to head to Brussels, where it will remain until Sunday, September 29.
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This international apostolic trip, the 46th of his pontificate, is carried out within the framework of the 600th anniversary of the Catholic universities of Louvain and Louvain la Neuve.
Before going to the airport, a group of homeless men and women were accompanied by Cardinal Konrad Krajewsk to Casa Santa Marta to greet Pope Francis before embarking on their journey.
These homeless people often find shelter at night under the colonnade from St. Peter’s Square or in the surrounding streets.
Pope Francis is scheduled to land in Luxembourg at 10 a.m., where the welcome ceremony will take place.
At 10:45 a.m. he will pay a courtesy visit to the Grand Duke of Luxembourg at the Grand Ducal Palace, followed by a meeting with the Prime Minister at 11:15 a.m.
Later, at 11:50, he will hold a meeting with the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps at the City Circle.
After a lunch break, he will address the Catholic community at the Cathedral of Our Lady in Luxembourg before departing for Brussels.
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
I am a graduate in Journalism and Advertising from the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. I have been a senior correspondent for ACI Prensa and EWTN Noticias in the Vatican for two years and I am currently a European correspondent based in Spain.