Pope looks to St. Paul, prays for Ciudad Juarez migrantsDisplaced persons and migrants: "they are people, not numbers"Pope Francis will arrive in Marseille on Friday, September 22, 2022 and will be received the same afternoon by French President Emmanuel Macron at around 4:15 pm.
This will be followed by a Marian prayer with the diocesan clergy in the Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde, followed by a moment of recollection with the religious leaders near the Memorial dedicated to the sailors and migrants died at sea.
On Saturday morning, September 23, the Pope will hold a private meeting with people in need at the Archbishopric. This will be followed by the concluding session of the "Mediterranean Meetings" at the Palais du Pharo.
At the end of the session, the Pope will meet the President of France at the same place and celebrate Mass at the Stade Velodrome.
To conclude the apostolic visit, at 6:45 p.m. there will be a farewell ceremony for the pontiff at Marseille International Airport.
This will be the third edition of the "Mediterranean Encounters" program, which brings together bishops from 29 countries and young people of different nationalities.
The initiative arose from the Italian Episcopal Conference in 2020, with the aim of fostering communion between the communities around the Mediterranean and addressing the challenges facing these regions. In 2020, they were held in Bari, Italy, and in 2022, in Florence.
