Pope Francis is not expected to leave Italy in 2020 or even 2021, the Italian daily La Repubblica reported on August 31, 2020.
The coronavirus pandemic has reportedly caused the Holy See to postpone all apostolic visits until a reliable vaccine is found.
The last trip in Italy was to Bari on February 23, 2020, and the last international trip was to Thailand and Japan, November 19 to 26, 2019.
No trip has been scheduled for the end of 2020 and it should be the same for the whole of 2021. The meetings dedicated to families and young people, scheduled to be in Rome in 2021 and in Lisbon in 2022, have been postponed to 2022 and 2023, pending the health situation.
The fact that Mgr. Mauricio Rueda Beltz has been appointed to the nunciature of Portugal, after having been responsible for the organization of apostolic journeys and his non-replacement reinforce this hypothesis.
However, the Pope will go to Assisi on October 3 to sign his new encyclical.
