Departure from Sweden

At 12:40pm today, at the international airport in Malmö (Sweden), there was a departure ceremony held to mark the end of Pope Francis' visit to that country.  Present at that moment were the Minister of Culture and Democracy, Ms. Alice Bah-Kuhnke.

The Pope then climbed aboard the Alitalia A321 which departed at 1:00pm local time and flew back to Italy, landing at Rome's Ciampino International Airport at 3:30pm local time, following a flight of approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Telegram of the Holy Father, Pope Francis

addressed to the King of Sweden

Immediately after the departure of his aircraft from the airport in Malmö (Sweden), the Pope sent the following telegram to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.

His Majesty, Carl XVI Gustaf
King of Sweden
The Royal Palace
Stockholm

As I leave Sweden, I wish to express my deep gratitude to Your Majesty, the members of the Royal Family and all the Swedish people for your warm welcome and hospitality.  With the assurance of my prayers, I invoke upon your nation the blessing of Almighty God.

Franciscus