Pope Francis has no overseas trips planned for this year, the Vatican announced on Thursday, as the coronavirus pandemic poses too great a risk to his health. The pope's agenda was already practically empty anyway, with only one official trip planned before the pandemic hit Italy: a one-day trip to the small Mediterranean island of Malta in late May, which had been canceled.
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François, 83, had been formally invited to visit Iraq, Cyprus, Indonesia and Montenegro. He also expressed interest in a visit to South Sudan, where he was personally involved in the peace process to end the civil war. But Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni told the press that none of these trips would take place in the near future, because "the Holy Father has no planned trips abroad this year" .
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