Pope Francis

POPE Francis will visit Venice on Sunday, his first trip outside Rome in seven months, which will be closely watched given concerns over the 87-year-old’s fragile health.

The Argentine pope has toured the world during his 11 years leading the Catholic Church, but has not traveled since visiting the French city of Marseille in September.

He was forced to cancel a trip to Dubai in December, where he was due to speak at a UN climate conference, because of bronchitis.

He withdrew from Easter events at the last minute in March, following suffering for several weeks from what the Vatican called a “little flu.”

In Venice, the pope’s first visit will be to a women’s prison on the island of Giudecca, which is the site of the Vatican’s entry for this year’s Biennale arts festival.

At a former monastery that now houses long-term prisoners, Francis – who has long fought for the rights of the marginalized – will meet some of the 80 prisoners and visit the exhibition.

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A compelling art exhibition, “With My Eyes” considers the daily lives of prisoners through the work of 10 different artists.

“This will be a historic moment because he will be the first pope to visit the Venice Biennale,” said the exhibition’s main curator, Jose Tolentino de Mendonca.

This visit “clearly demonstrates the Church’s desire to consolidate a productive and close dialogue with the world of arts and culture”.

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Mass in St Mark’s Square

Chiara Parisi, who also works as a curator on the project, told AFP that the prisoners were looking forward to the visit with “great apostolate” and “hope”.

“By going there to be among them, the pope’s actions more than speak,” highlighting a part of society “that wants to play a role even when they are in a very difficult situation,” he said.

Francis is scheduled to arrive by helicopter in Giudecca at 8 am (0600 GMT).

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After visiting the prison, he will give a speech and meet with young people at the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute, the landmark church at the southern end of the Canal Grande.

From there the pope will head to St Mark’s Square via a bridge built on the base of boats lined up along the canal and preside over a mass starting at 11am.

He is scheduled to leave Venice at 1 p.m., having become the fourth pope to visit the city, following Paul VI (1972), Jean-Paul II (1985), and Benedict XVI (2011).

The Diocese of Venice is one of the largest in Italy, with 125 parishes, and has close ties to the papacy. Three Venetian patriarchs became popes in the 20th century.

Francis’ visit came on the same weekend that Venice launched a new entry fee for day tourists, aimed at easing tourism pressure at the UNESCO World Heritage site.

As a guest, he will be exempt from purchasing a five-euro ($5.30) ticket, but non-resident pilgrims coming for his mass will have to pay.

The pope, who uses a wheelchair, has experienced increasingly serious health problems in recent years, from knee pain to operations for a hernia and on his colon.

Despite his health, the Vatican is planning an ambitious trip to Asia in next month

September, by visiting Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Singapore for 12 days.

Before that, the pope is scheduled to make two other trips within Italy, to Verona in May and Trieste in July. (AFP/Z-3)