Pope to visit Malta on April 2-3, Vatican says

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – Pope Francis will visit Malta on April 2-3, the Vatican said on Thursday, a trip that was originally to have taken place in 2020 but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Vatican said he would visit the capital, Valletta, as well as Rabat, Floriana and the island of Gozo. Malta is predominately Roman Catholic.

The main theme of the trip is expected to be migration because of the many migrants who have died in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe from North Africa.

Migration was a central topic of Francis’ trip in December to Cyprus and Greece, also Mediterranean countries hit by the migrant crisis.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Alison Williams)