Nicosia, Cyprus, Sep 1, 2021 / 02:30 am
Pope Francis will visit Cyprus in December, according to a local official.
The Associated Press reported on Aug. 31 that an official said that the visit would take place on Dec. 2-3 and include a meeting with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
The Vatican has not confirmed the trip. But in an interview broadcast on Sept. 1, the pope said he hoped to visit the eastern Mediterranean island nation, which has a population of around 875,000 people, including approximately 10,000 Catholics.
The pope told Spain’s COPE radio station that since his election in 2013, he had chosen to visit “small countries in Europe.”