Pope Francis lands in Luxembourg

26/9/2024 18:12

        Pope Francis arrived in Luxembourg on Thursday for a brief visit to one of Europe's smallest countries ahead of a weekend trip to Belgium, where he will highlight the needs of migrants and meet a group of survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy.
        
        The tour is a rare European visit for Francis, who has tended to go to places never visited by a pope, or where Catholics are a small minority. It 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 - who uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain - got off the chartered ITA Airways flight on a mobile lift.
        
        He was greeted at Findel International Airport by Luxembourg monarch Grand Duke Henri, Grand Duchess Maria Theresa, Prime Minister Luc Frieden and a group of about 100 schoolchildren, all wearing maroon sweaters.