Vatican confirms papal trip to Greece, Cyprus in December

VATICAN

CITY: Pope Francis will travel to Greece and the eastern Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus on a five-day trip next month, the Vatican confirmed Friday.

The pope will visit Larnaca, Cyprus, from December 2-4, before traveling to Greece, with stops in Athens and on the island of Lesbos, from December 4-6. The Vatican released no further details of the trip.

The Cyprus leg had already been confirmed by Cypriot officials, who said that the pontiff will hold talks with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades. Francis will be the second

Roman Catholic

pontiff ever to travel to the eastern Mediterranean island nation.

Francis traveled previously to Lesbos in 2016 to highlight the plight of refugees. He brought with him 12

Syrian Muslims

to Italy aboard his charter plane after an emotional visit. The Greek island just a few miles from the Turkish coast has received hundreds of thousands of desperate people fleeing war and

poverty

.