Pope Francis will begin a visit to Hungary and then Slovakia on Sunday, only weeks after the head of the Roman Catholic Church underwent major surgery to remove part of his colon.
The 84-year-old's meeting on Sunday with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban could be tense. While the latter has built a reputation as a hardline anti-migration politician, the Pope has repeatedly urged tolerance towards those leaving war and poverty.
Pope Francis will spend only seven hours in Budapest to close an international Roman Catholic event, before heading to Slovakia for three days.
Hungary's ambassador to the Holy See, Eduard Habsburg, has emphasised how much Mr Orban has in common with the Pope, such as “religious freedom, or persecuted Christians".
A spokesman for the Vatican, when asked why the visit to Hungary was so short, said the stop there was a “spiritual pilgrimage” that should be seen in a religious context.
His tour of Slovakia, where there are 13 recognised minorities, will include meetings with the Jewish and Roma communities.
It will be the first papal visit to the country in 25 years, with Slovakia’s envoy to the Holy See describing it as “a historic moment”.
Marek Lisansky told the Catholic News Agency that Bratislava was “our capital and symbol of our independence, but also a unique example of central European heritage and history, with Roman, Christian, and Jewish roots”.
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Pope Francis holds a minute of silence at the destroyed cathedral in Mosul's old city. Reuters -
Pope Francis rides in a golf cart at the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP -
Pope Francis, surrounded by religious dignitaries at a square near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP -
Pope Francis releasing a white dove at a square near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP -
Pope Francis arrives to pray for war victims at 'Hosh al-Bieaa', Church Square, in Mosul's Old City. Reuters -
A photojournalist uses his camera from atop a broken wall near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP -
Pope Francis arrives to pray for war victims at 'Hosh al-Bieaa', Church Square, in Mosul's old city, Iraq. Reuters -
Iraqi children dressed in costumes wave national flags in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP -
Girls wave national flags as they gather at Church square ahead of Pope Francis' arrival to visit Mosul. Reuters -
A member of the Iraqi security forces stands guard as children dressed in costumes wave national flags in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP -
Iraqi children dressed in costumes are pictured in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP -
Iraqis in the northern city of Mosul get ready to welcome Pope Francis. AFP -
Iraqis in the northern city of Mosul get ready to welcome Pope Francis. AFP -
Iraqis in the northern city of Mosul get ready to welcome Pope Francis. AFP -
People prepare before Pope Francis arrives to hold a mass at 'Hosh al-Bieaa', Church Square. Reuters -
Iraqi soldiers keep watch before the prayer by Pope Francis for the victims of the war in Mosul. EPA -
Iraqis gather in the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception. AFP -
Preparations are under way at the ruins of Al Tahera Church in the Iraq's northern city of Mosul, a day before the arrival of the Pope. AFP -
Pope Francis will say prayers for victims of ISIS and war at Al Tahera Church in Mosul’s Church Square, which is surrounded by several places of worship used by Iraq’s different Christian denominations. AFP -
An aerial view of seating arrangements are being made at the ruins of Al Tahera Church. AFP -
Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Chaldean Catholic churches can be found in and around the small square that is locked in by low-rise houses in Mosul’s Old City. AFP -
Organisers lay seats at the ruins of Al Tahera Church in the Old City of Mosul in northern Iraq. AFP -
Al Tahera is a symbol of the diversity that has been the story of Mosul for centuries and represents Iraq’s once-flourishing Christian community. AFP -
Men walk past a poster of Pope Francis hanging above a ruined building in the Old City of Mosul. AFP -
Christians who fled from Mosul after the ISIS rampage have been hesitant to return because of the post-war situation as well as a lack of trust in the government to provide them with the protection they need. AFP
The Pope will conduct two open-air Masses in Slovakia, a country of 5.5 million people, of whom about 65 per cent are Catholic.
Mr Lisansky said the visit “shows Pope Francis’s continued support and huge attention paid to cultural and spiritual dialogue”.
He highlighted how Bratislava had long been witness to history.
“Two thousand years ago, the Danube was the edge of the Roman Empire, with a Roman castle in the place of Bratislava Castle,” he said.
“The first Great Moravian basilica was founded there 12 centuries ago. And in the 20th century, Bratislava witnessed the tragedies of the Nazi and communist regimes.”
Mr Lisansky referenced the city of Kosice, in eastern Slovakia, as “a unique example of cultural dialogue between all 13 national minorities living there peacefully for centuries”.
Pope Francis has travelled to five continents since his election in 2013, but continues to prioritise smaller nations, especially in Europe. With this trip he will have visited 54 countries as head of the Catholic Church.
He has a typically busy schedule and his physical health will be closely scrutinised.
In July, Pope Francis spent 10 days in hospital after undergoing an operation for a type of diverticulitis, an inflammation in the intestine that required removing part of his colon.
