Pope Francis is not expected to leave Italy in 2020, nor in 2021, the Italian daily La Repubblica reported on August 31. The coronavirus pandemic is said to have led the Holy See to postpone all apostolic visits until a reliable vaccine is found.
The pope’s last trip within Italy took place in Bari on February 23, while the last international trip was to Thailand and Japan from November 19 to 26, 2019. A trip to Malta was planned for May 31, 2020, but was cancelled.
No trip has been scheduled for the rest of 2020 and the situation is expected to be the same for the whole year 2021.
The appointment of the person responsible for the organization of apostolic journeys, Bishop Maurizio Rueda, to the Nunciature of Portugal reinforces this hypothesis, especially since he has not yet been replaced.
The World Meeting of Families and World Youth Day have been postponed to 2022 and 2023 – and that if the world health situation allows it.
World Youth Day was scheduled for August of 2022, in Lisbon, Portugal. It is now planned for August of 2023.
The World Meeting of Families was scheduled for June of 2021 in Rome. It is now planned for June of 2022.
At the end of 2021, therefore, it will have been two years since the Holy See has organized a papal visit. The last time there’s been such a long pause was between the pontificates of Paul VI and John Paul II.
And today we celebrate...