Photo: Collected
Pope Francis will visit Venice on Sunday (28 April), his first trip outside Rome in seven months, which will be closely watched amid concerns over the 87-year-old's fragile health.
The Argentine pontiff has toured the world in his 11 years as head of the Catholic Church, but has not travelled since visiting the French city of Marseille in September.
He was forced to cancel a trip to Dubai in December, where he was to have addressed UN climate talks, due to a bout of bronchitis.
And he pulled out of an Easter event at the last minute in March, after suffering for several weeks from what the Vatican called a "light flu".
In Venice, the pope's first stop will be a women's prison on the island of Giudecca, which houses the Vatican's entry for this year's Biennale festival of art.
At the former convent which now houses long-term prisoners, Francis -- who has long championed the rights of marginalised people -- will meet with some of the 80 inmates and visit the exhibition.
An immersive art show, "With my Eyes" considers the daily lives of the prisoners through the work of 10 different artists.
"It will be a historic moment because he will be the first pope to visit the Venice Biennale," said the exhibition's lead curator, Jose Tolentino de Mendonca.
The visit "clearly demonstrates the desire of the Church to consolidate a fruitful and close dialogue with the world of art and culture".
Messenger/Mumu
