Pope Francis arrives in Luxembourg in rare Europe trip

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STORY: :: Pope Francis is greeted warmly as he arrives in Luxembourg to begin a rare trip to Europe

:: September 26, 2024

:: Luxembourg

:: The pontiff prefers going to countries never visited by a pope or where Catholics are a small minority

The Thursday-Sunday Luxembourg and Belgium tour comes less than two weeks after Francis returned from a demanding 12-day, four-country tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania.

The 87-year-old pontiff landed at Luxembourg's Findel International Airport on a chartered ITA airways flight also carrying his entourage and accompanying reporters. The pope will spend the day in the country, before heading on in the evening to Brussels, the Belgian capital.

On Thursday, Francis will hold private meetings with Luxembourg's Grand Duke Henri, the monarch, and Prime Minister Luc Frieden before giving a speech to the country's political authorities. He will also hold a meeting with local Catholics at Luxembourg City's Notre-Dame Cathedral.