At 11:30am today (local time) in the John Paul II Hall at the Holy See Press Centre, the Director of the Centre, Father Federico Lombardi, SJ held a briefing to present the programme for the visit of His Holiness, Pope Francis to Lesbos this coming Saturday, April 16.
7:00am
Departure from Rome's Fumicino international airport
10:20am
Arrival at the Mytilene international airport (Greece)
Arrival ceremony
The Holy Father will be received by the Prime Minister. He will then receive a welcome from His Holiness, Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, as well as His Beatitude, Ieronymos, Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece, followed immediately by His Excellency, Fragkiskos Papamonolis, OFM Cap., President of the Greek Episcopal Conference.
10:35am
Private meeting with the Prime Minister at the airport
10:55am
Transfer by minibus along with His Holiness, Bartholomew I and His Beatitude Ieronymos to the Mòria refugee camp (a distance of 16km).
11:15am
Arrival at the Mòria refugee camp (where approximately 2,500 refugees have requested asylum). Along the way, they will be greeted by 150 children who are guests at the camp.
Visit with refugees
En route to the camp, they will be greeted by 150 children who are current guests at Mòria. Religious leaders will greet Pope Francis, His Holiness and His Beatitude in the courtyard that is dedicated to the registration of refugees, and once they arrive at a large tent which has been erected there, they will greet approximately 250 of the asylum seekers individually.
12:25pm
Speeches will be pronounced by Archbishop Ieronymous, Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Father, Pope Francis at a podium that will be set up in the registration courtyard.
12:40
A joint declaration will be signed
12:45
The three religious leaders will eat lunch with a few of the refugees in a shelter located behind the podium.
1:30pm
Transfer by minibus to the port (a distance of 8km)
13:45pm
Arrival at the Coast Guard Presidium
Meeting with the citizens and with the Catholic community, including a memorial service to remember the victims of migration. The Holy Father will speak publicly.
At the conclusion of the memorial service, the three religious leaders will each recite a brief prayer for the victims of migration. Following a moment of silence, the leaders will then receive three laurel wreaths from the hands of children which they in turn will place upon the waters of the sea.
2:15pm
Transfer by minibus to the airport (a distance of approximately 3km)
2:30pm
At the airport, the Holy Father will have private meetings with the Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece; with the Ecumenical Patriarch; and with the Prime Minister.
3:00pm
Departure ceremony
3:15pm
Departure from the Mytilene international airport
4:30pm
Arrival at Rome's Ciampino airport
Even though this will be a visit that will last only a few hours in length, it is very significant. The Holy Father's visit to the island of Lesbos is humanitarian and ecumenical in nature.
Lesbos is the scene of the reception of thousands of refugees from the Middle East and Africa, who are seeking a better future in Europe. However, it has also become the place where many of them are returned to their native countries. Therefore, the Holy Father wishes to express his closeness to them, especially given the drama of immigration.
At the end of the General Audience on Wednesday, he asked for prayers for this visit.
Programme for the visit of His Holiness, Pope Francis
to the Greek island of Lesbos
7:00am
Departure from Rome's Fumicino international airport
10:20am
Arrival at the Mytilene international airport (Greece)
Arrival ceremony
The Holy Father will be received by the Prime Minister. He will then receive a welcome from His Holiness, Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, as well as His Beatitude, Ieronymos, Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece, followed immediately by His Excellency, Fragkiskos Papamonolis, OFM Cap., President of the Greek Episcopal Conference.
10:35am
Private meeting with the Prime Minister at the airport
10:55am
Transfer by minibus along with His Holiness, Bartholomew I and His Beatitude Ieronymos to the Mòria refugee camp (a distance of 16km).
11:15am
Arrival at the Mòria refugee camp (where approximately 2,500 refugees have requested asylum). Along the way, they will be greeted by 150 children who are guests at the camp.
Visit with refugees
En route to the camp, they will be greeted by 150 children who are current guests at Mòria. Religious leaders will greet Pope Francis, His Holiness and His Beatitude in the courtyard that is dedicated to the registration of refugees, and once they arrive at a large tent which has been erected there, they will greet approximately 250 of the asylum seekers individually.
12:25pm
Speeches will be pronounced by Archbishop Ieronymous, Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Father, Pope Francis at a podium that will be set up in the registration courtyard.
12:40
A joint declaration will be signed
12:45
The three religious leaders will eat lunch with a few of the refugees in a shelter located behind the podium.
1:30pm
Transfer by minibus to the port (a distance of 8km)
13:45pm
Arrival at the Coast Guard Presidium
Meeting with the citizens and with the Catholic community, including a memorial service to remember the victims of migration. The Holy Father will speak publicly.
At the conclusion of the memorial service, the three religious leaders will each recite a brief prayer for the victims of migration. Following a moment of silence, the leaders will then receive three laurel wreaths from the hands of children which they in turn will place upon the waters of the sea.
2:15pm
Transfer by minibus to the airport (a distance of approximately 3km)
2:30pm
At the airport, the Holy Father will have private meetings with the Archbishop of Athens and of all Greece; with the Ecumenical Patriarch; and with the Prime Minister.
3:00pm
Departure ceremony
3:15pm
Departure from the Mytilene international airport
4:30pm
Arrival at Rome's Ciampino airport
Even though this will be a visit that will last only a few hours in length, it is very significant. The Holy Father's visit to the island of Lesbos is humanitarian and ecumenical in nature.
Lesbos is the scene of the reception of thousands of refugees from the Middle East and Africa, who are seeking a better future in Europe. However, it has also become the place where many of them are returned to their native countries. Therefore, the Holy Father wishes to express his closeness to them, especially given the drama of immigration.
At the end of the General Audience on Wednesday, he asked for prayers for this visit.
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