Pope heads to Venice in first trip for months

Pope Francis will visit Venice today in 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.

Francis also 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 the pope will meet with some of the 80 inmates and visit the exhibition.

The diocese of Venice is one of the largest in Italy, with 125 parishes, and has close ties with the papacy. Three Venice patriarchs became popes in the 20th century.

Francis’s visit comes on the same weekend as Venice launches a new entry fee for day-trippers, aimed at easing the pressure of tourism on the UNESCO World Heritage site.

As a guest, he will be exempt from buying a five-euro ($5.30) ticket, but non-resident pilgrims visiting for his mass will have to pay.

The pontiff, who uses a wheelchair, has suffered increasing health problems in recent years, from knee pain to surgery for a hernia and on his colon.

Despite his health, the Vatican is planning an ambitious trip to Asia in September, taking in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore over 12 days.

Before that, the pope is due to make two other trips within Italy, to Verona in May and Trieste in July.