The Vatican has released the Pope’s program for his Latin America trip this July.
This morning, the Holy See Press Office released the Pope’s itinerary for the July 5-13 visit to Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay.
On Sunday July 5, Pope Francis will leave Rome’s Fiumicino airport at 9 a.m. He will arrive at the Mariscal Sucre Thairport in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, at 3 p.m. local time, where a welcoming ceremony will be held.
The next day, Francis will proceed to Guayaquil to celebrate Mass in the shrine of Divine Mercy, after which he will lunch at the Colegio Javier with the Jesuit community.
Upon return to Quito, he will pay a courtesy visit to the Ecuadorian president in the presidential palace and will subsequently visit the Cathedral.
On Tuesday morning, the first Pope from the Americas will meet with the nation’s bishops in the Congress Centre of the Bicentenary Park, where he will celebrate Mass. That afternoon, he will encounter representatives of schools and universities in the Pontifical University of Ecuador, and later, representatives of civil society in the Church of San Francisco, after which he will pay a private visit to the “Iglesia de la Compania.”
July 8: Bolivia
The Pope’s Wednesday will start with a visit the Rest Home of the Missionaries of Charity. Afterward, he will meet with clergy, men and women religious and seminarians at the national Marian shrine, El Quinche, and later, he will depart by air for Bolivia.
Upon arrival at the airport of El Alto in La Paz, Bolivia, the Holy Father will give an address. Following the welcome ceremony, he will transfer to the government palace to pay a courtesy visit to the president.
From there, he will go to the Cathedral of La Paz, where he will meet with the civil authorities, after which he will travel by air to Santa Cruz de la Sierra where he will spend the night.
On Thursday, Francis will celebrate Mass in the square of Cristo Redentor, and will meet with men and women religious in the Don Bosco School, after which he will participate in the World Meeting of Popular Movements in the Expo trade fair center.
The next day, he will visit the Santa Cruz-Palmasola re-education center and, in the same morning, will meet with the bishops of Bolivia in the parish church of Santa Cruz.
July 10: Paraguay
Pope Francis will leave Bolivia from the Viru Viru airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, destined for Paraguay; his aircraft is expected to land at around 3 p.m. local time in the Silvio Pettirossi airport of Asuncion.
Once in Paraguay, the Pope will pay a courtesy visit to the president in the Palacio de Lopez, where he will also meet with the authorities and the diplomatic corps.
On Saturday, Pope will visit the “Ninos de Acosta Nu” general pediatric hospital and will subsequently officiate at Mass in the square of the Marian sanctuary of Caacupe.
That afternoon, he will meet with representatives of civil society in the Leon Condou stadium of the San Jose school. The day will conclude with the celebration of vespers with the bishops, priests, deacons, men and women religious, seminarians and Catholic movements in the metropolitan cathedral of Our Lady of Asuncion.
On Sunday, the last day of his apostolic trip, Francis first will visit with the people of Banado Norte in the Chapel of San Juan Batista, and Mass in the Nu Guazu field. The Holy Father will meet the bishops of Paraguay in the Cultural Centre of the apostolic nunciatura, where they will then dine. His last engagement that day will be a meeting with young people at the Costanera riverside area.
At 7 p.m local time, Pope Francis will depart by air for Rome, where he is expected to arrive on Monday, July 13, shortly before 2 p.m. (D.C.L.)
