Pope Francis Travel Schedule 2014: Pontiff Will Not Tour Mexico Next Year; Visit Set For 2015

Pope Francis will not be visiting Mexico next year, however, it seems that the Pontif may be touring the country in 2015. Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera announced that it seems Francis will follow in the footsteps of predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI in visiting Mexico, one of the strongest Catholic countries in the world. The Archbishop of Mexico City assured followers that, although the leader of the Holy See will not visit Mexico until 2015, the Vatican has responded affirmatively to various invitations sent by the government of Enrique Peña Nieto.

Pope Francis' visit to Mexico has been has been engendered in a campaign spearheaded by the Mexican President, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, José Antonio Meade, and the Mayor of Mexico City, Miguel Ángel Mancera. "We have invited him frequently and he has received this invitation with great pleasure," assured Rivera. "I don't think the Pope will come in what is left of this year, nor in 2014...he already has various engagements in Africa and Asia for next year, and so I think that the year of his visit will be 2015."

Mexico City's Archbishop also took the opportunity to announce his own plans to travel to the Vatican in 2014, which he will undergo in order to take part in the economic reforms to take place next year at the Vatican. He also reminded worshippers at the Metropolitan Cathedral that John Paull II will soon be canonized for his extraordinary work promoting the Catholic faith and its teachings.