Pope Francis is to visit Cyprus on December 2-3 with the divided island viewed by the Vatican as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East.
The visit is also important in view of struggling times with the coronavirus pandemic and political turbulence in the region, Philenews reports.
The presence of the Pope will also help highlight the division of Cyprus and may even give momentum to long-standing struggling peace talks, it added.
In November 2019, President Nicos Anastasiades announced that the Pope would have visited Cyprus in 2020 to mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Republic.
The visit which would have also marked 10 years since the visit of Pope Benedict to Cyprus never materialised because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Pope Francis’ visit schedule is under draft but it is certain he will meet separately with the President as well as Cyprus Archbishop Chrysostomos and representatives of the island’s Catholic community.
He is to also hold an open-air mass – most possibly at GSP stadium in Nicosia, according to insiders.
