Latin America to be the Host of Holy Father's First Apostolic Visit of 2018

On the evening of January 15, the Holy Father’s plane will land in Santiago, Chile. After the welcome ceremony, the pope will go to the Apostolic Nunciature.

The morning of January 16 will be consecrated to the customary visits to the civil authorities, including President Michelle Bachelet, followed by the celebration of Holy Mass in O’Higgins Park. The pope will visit a female penitentiary, then meet with the bishops, clergy, religious, and seminarians. In the evening, he will have a private meeting with the members of the Society of Jesus.

On January 17, Francis will go to Temuco to celebrate Mass and have lunch with the inhabitants of the region at the Madre de la Santa Cruz house. Upon his return to Santiago, he will meet with the youth and visit the city’s Pontifical Catholic University.

On January 18, the pope will fly to Iquique, in the north of Chile, where he plans to celebrate Mass before leaving for the capital of Peru in the late afternoon.

In Lima, the day of January 19 will begin with a meeting with the civil authorities and the diplomatic corps, particularly President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski. The pope will then fly to Puerto Maldonado, capital of the department of Madre de Dios. He will have lunch there with representatives of the peoples of Amazonia and will give a much-awaited speech in preparation for the Synod on Amazonia scheduled for October of 2019 in Rome.

On January 20, the pope will go to Trujillo, where he will visit the Argentinian district of the city after Mass, then meet with the local clergy. A ceremony in honor of the Virgen de la Puerta is also planned for this day.

Lastly, on January 21, Francis will pray in front of the relics of the Peruvian saints in the cathedral. He will meet with the bishops of Peru and celebrate Sunday Mass at Las Palmas Air Base in the afternoon, before taking off for Rome.