Pope Francis visits Colombia

Alitalia AZA 4000 flight Airbus A330 took off from Rome 's Fiumicino Airport shortly after 11 am local time on route to Bogotá , Colombia . However, the flight path has been changed in order to avoid Hurricane Irma , a cyclone that has reached category 5, the maximum classification, currently active in the Caribbean Sea , and that according to the National Hurricane Center in the United States, is potentially catastrophic and is the most powerful Atlantic Ocean hurricane in recorded history.

Anxious, joyful and enthusiastic, Colombia started today the final countdown to receive Pope Francis . The Holy Father is traveling with a retinue of about a hundred people, including Colombian religious authorities, journalists, and staff.

Pope Francis will arrive on Wednesday afternoon set off on a five-day trip to the South American country of Colombia. According to the official program of the Apostolic Journey of His Holiness Pope Francis to Colombia, he will visit four Colombian cities: Bogotá , Villavicencio , Medellin , and Cartagena .

Pope Francis will be received in the international airport El Dorado by the President of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos , and his wife, María Clemencia Rodríguez .

Jorge Bergoglio

will come into contact with numerous protagonists from multiple national life scenarios, as victims of violence such as ex-guerrillas, military, police, and civilians, along with disabled, elderly, children, indigenous, Afro-Colombians, entrepreneurs and even young people exposed to prostitution.

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