The Vatican is confirming that Pope Francis will travel to Panama in January to participate in the Catholic Church’s big youth rally.
The Jan. 23-27 trip, which was expected, will be Francis’ third World Youth Day. He attended the event in Brazil in 2013, months after his election, and in Poland in 2016.
A brief statement from the Vatican on Monday said the pope had accepted an invitation from the Panamanian government and Catholic bishops to visit.
There have been calls for Francis to stop in El Salvador en route to or from Panama to pray at the tomb of slain Archbishop Oscar Romero, whom Francis plans to make a saint in October at the
Vatican. The statement Monday made no mention of a Salvador leg of the January trip.
