Vatican City, Jul 26, 2016 / 13:59 pm
Before taking off for WYD in Krakow, Pope Francis will pray at the tomb of St. John Paul II alongside children who have cancer, and will bring their prayers to Poland in order to ask the nation's saint for healing.
According to a July 26 statement from Italian nonprofit Peter Pan, which works with children who have cancer and their families, members of the association will "share a moment of prayer" with Pope Francis July 27 before he flies to Krakow for World Youth Day.
Scheduled to depart from Rome's Fiumicino airport at 2 p.m., Francis will come to St. Peter's Basilica at 8:45 a.m., where he will meet members of the Peter Pan association at the tomb of St. John Paul II (in the basilica's St. Sebastian Chapel) to join them in a moment of prayer.
The group will have a prayer celebration including Mass and the rosary at the saint's tomb, led by Fr. Jarek Cielecki. While Francis won't stay for the entire event, he'll join the group for part of their prayer.