VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis will celebrate Mass and host a luncheon for Filipino survivors of the deadly Typhoon Haiyan during his Jan. 12-19 visit to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, his second visit to Asia in a year that confirms the region is a priority of his pontificate.
The Vatican on Friday released the itinerary for the pope’s visit, which comes just five months after his August pilgrimage to South Korea.
Francis first flies to Colombo, where he will canonize Sri Lanka’s first saint, the Rev. Giuseppe Baz, a 17th-century missionary credited with reviving the Catholic faith in the country.
The pope arrives in Manila on Jan. 15 and two days later flies to the central city of Tacloban, hardest hit by the Nov. 8, 2013, typhoon that left more than 7,300 people dead or missing. There he will celebrate Mass, host a luncheon and meet with survivors.
He’ll also inaugurate a center for the poor named in his honor.