Francisco’s trips: what countries he knew during the pontificate
In numbers, it was behind John Paul IIwho traveled more times, with the visit to 129 countries. Its difference also lies in the extension of the papacy, which for the Polish lasted between 1978 and 2005.
Despite having been in a total of seven South American countries, the pending debt will be its homeland, which in the region would be added Uruguay and Venezuela. The last papal visit in Argentina was in April 1987, when Juan Pablo II was in Buenos Aires, Bahía Blanca, Tucumán, Corrientes, Viedma, Mendoza, Córdoba, Salta, Paraná and Rosario.
Pope Francis’s trip to Lampedusa
Francisco chose an unexpected place for his first trip: the island of Lampedusa, in Sicily, the closest to the African coasts and considered the door of Europe for migrants in search of a future.
It was on July 8, 2013, and from there he released his message about the “globalization of indifference” that would lead him to denounce over the years on numerous indifference to the one that comes from afar.
Pope Francis’s first trips
Jorge Mario Bergoglio’s first apostolic trip as Pope went to Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in 2013, just four months after being chosen. I did it for a special reason: Go to its first World Youth Day as a pontiff.
Being so close to his land, from Argentina, he attracted thousands of countrymen to WYD. There in Brazil he sent a message to young people, to those who always had very present during his pontificate: “I want mess in the dioceses, who leaves outside, I want the church to go out”
The Rio de Janeiro was his first and only 2013 trip. But as of 2014, Francisco A tendency to travel at least four times a year began.
He did it first to Holy Land in May, where he met with the political leaders of Jordan, Palestine and Israel. He also traveled to Albania, Türkiye, France (which is the country that most visited after Italy, up to three occasions) Already South Korea, in which it was the first trip of a pontiff to the country in 25 yearsafter San did John Paul II.
In 2015, the Holy Father traveled To Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January; to Bosnia, Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay in summer; And later he made two more trips: one to Kenia, Uganda and the Central African Republicand another to Cuba and the United States, to preside over the world meeting of families and talk to the United Nations General Assembly.
Pope Francis Misa Rio de Janeiro.jpg
As of 2016, the Pope visited different countries from all continents in his apostolic trips: to Greece, To know the situation of refugees on the island of Lesbos; To Poland, for Visit Auschwitz and preside over your second world day for youth; Oa Bangladesh and Myanmar, to establish peace encounters and meet with refugees from the Red Ethnic group.
The year 2019 was the one that made the most trips, seven in total: First to Panama for WYD; then to the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and several European countries; Later, another trip to Africa, where he was in Mozambique, Madagascar and Mauricio; And finally to Thailand and Japan, where he met with the survivors of the atomic bombs and of the earthquake and subsequent nuclear accident of 2011. This was his last visit before the Covid-19 pandemicwhich prevented him from traveling for 2020.
On March 5, 2021, the Pope resumed international visits embarking on one of the most complicated trips of his pontificate. He spent three days in Iraq, being the first Pope in history to visit this country in the Middle Eastafter several years in wars and dictatorships.
From then on, Pope Francis continued his trips as the highest representative of the Holy See: he visited the Lesbos refugee camp in Greece, He traveled to Canada, Kazakhstan, Baréin and in 2023 he visited the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan to promote peace in these two countries whipped by civil wars. Months later He went to what was his last world day of youth, that of Lisbonand recalled that there is room for everyone in the Church.
Francisco was the first Pope to visit Iraq
Of Francisco’s last trips, the one who highlighted was the one he made in September 2024. over eleven days visited Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singaporein which was the longest trip of his years as a pontiff. In Southeast Asia Catholicism is not the majority religion, in fact Indonesia is the country with the most Muslims in the world, but there The Pope was wrapped by thousands of Christians to those who encouraged not to be dependent and live in freedom.
Pope Francis’s last trip went to Francewhen on December 15, 2024 he visited Ajaccio. Francisco ended by half of the trips that John Paul II, almost three times less time. He was a Pope who couldn’t be still, and who always liked to travel.
The trips of Pope Francis in the 12 years of pontificate
Francisco made several apostolic trips. This was the journeys during the Pope’s pontificate:
- In 12 years of pontificate, Francisco made 47 trips outside Italy and visited 66 countries.
- Francisco’s longest trip took place from September 2 to 13, 2024 and took him to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore
A few weeks later, from September 26 to 29, he visited Luxembourg and Belgium.
- Benedict XVI visited 23 countries on 24 trips in eight years. Juan Pablo II was in 129 countries in 104 pastoral visits during the 25 years of his pontificate. Paul VI was the first Pope to leave Italy since 1809; In 15 years, he made 9 pastoral trips visiting 19 countries.
- Francisco He repeated three destinations: Greece: In April 20216 he visited the island of Lesbos and in December 2021 he returned to the country, on the apostolic trip that led him to Cyprus and Greece. Hungarywhich visited in September 2021 to close the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress in Budapest, and where he traveled again in 2023. And Portugalwhere he was in May 2017, in the centenary of the appearances of Fatima, and in 2023 in the WYD of Lisbon.
- Also He was in France three timesbut the Pope insists that they were not trips to a country, if not to specific places: to the European Parliament of Strasbourg (2014), to Marseille (2023) and Ajaccio, Corsica (2024).
- Pope Francis’s first trip outside Italy He did it just four months after being elected Pope: he went to Brazil, where he participated in the WYD of Rio de Janeiro with almost 4 million young people around the world.
- Almost every year he has made one or two trips before summer, one or two in the summer months, another trip in September and another in November.
- The year that most apostolic visits was 2019 (11 countries on 7 trips).
- In 2020, the Pope could not visit any country, due to the pandemic of Covid-19.
- With the visit of 2024 to Papua New Guinea, Francisco was on all continents.
- The continent where he made more trips is Europe, 20 times; In Asia he was 14 times; in Latin America and the Caribbean 7 times; in Africa 4 times; 2 times in North America; and 1 time in Oceania.
- In 2023 he traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan; to Hungary; to Portugal to participate in the WYD of Lisbon; to Mongolia; Already Marseille (France), to close the Mediterranean meetings. [LEER MÁS: Viajes del papa Francisco en 2023]
- The last apostolic trip was to the French island of Corsica, to Ajaccio, to close the Congress ‘The Populaire Religiosité in Méditerranée’, on December 15, 2024.
Source: Ambito
