Pope heads to Strasbourg to reinvigorate ‘tired’ Europe

STRASBOURG: Pope Francis heads to Strasbourg on Tuesday for a lightning visit to the European parliament, where he hopes to help reinvigorate a “tired” Europe, hit by economic crises and surging nationalism.
Francis will leave his pope-mobile behind and, unusually for the crowd-loving Argentine, dedicate his time to addressing lawmakers and the Council of Europe in a four-hour trip, the shortest abroad by any pope.
In what will be the second visit by a pope to the parliament in the French city of Strasbourg, Francis will also meet briefly with outgoing European Council president Herman Van Rompuy and new European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.
The climate has changed greatly since the last papal visit to the French city in 1988, and Vatican watchers say the Argentine pontiff will have to fight harder to be heard in an increasingly secular continent.
Crowds of faithful are expected to watch the speeches on giant screens set up in front of the city’s cathedral. For protocol reasons the head of the Catholic Church will be driven between the parliament and council buildings rather than walking, the Vatican said ahead of the trip. (Reuters)