Cypriot official: Pope Francis to visit Cyprus in December

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS
Associated Press

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A Cyprus official says Pope Francis will visit Cyprus in December, making him the second Roman Catholic pontiff to ever travel to the eastern Mediterranean island nation. The official said Tuesday the pontiff’s two-day visit will take place Dec. 2-3. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he’s not permitted to speak publicly about the visit. Primarily Greek Orthodox Cyprus has a small, but vibrant Latin community of more than 2,400 people. Cyprus was the initial stop on Saint Paul’s first journey to spread Christianity in the 1st Century A.D. and he converted the island’s Roman governor Sergius Paulus to the faith.