JOHN PAUL II TO TRAVEL TO GREECE, SYRIA, AND MALTA IN MAY

VATICAN CITY, MAR 26, 2001 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Joaquin Navarro-Valls declared this morning that "the Holy Father, in fitting continuity with the pilgrimages made during the Great Jubilee, will also go on pilgrimage in the footsteps of the apostle Paul to Athens, Greece; Damascus, Syria; and Malta, from May 4 to 9, 2001.

An overview of the Pope's itinerary was also published today. He is scheduled to arrive in Athens, Greece on Friday, May 4, after a 2 hour flight from Rome. He will leave Athens the following day for Damascus, Syria, remain in Damascus on May 6 and travel from Damascus to Qunietra on May 7, a one-hour trip by car. On Tuesday, May 8 the Holy Father will fly from Syria to Valletta, Malta, leaving Malta the following day for Rome.

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