Pope Francis to Visit Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay in July

Pope Francis will start his first visit as pontiff to three Spanish-speaking Latin American countries in Ecuador, continue in Bolivia and wrap up in Paraguay.

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — Pope Francis will begin his first visit as pontiff to three Spanish-speaking Latin American countries on Sunday, local media reported.

The eight-day visit will start in Ecuador, continue in Bolivia on July 8 and wrap up in Paraguay on July 12.

In 2013, Francis had already been on a tour in Latin America, when he visited Portuguese-speaking Brazil during the World Youth Day.

To attend all the planned venues on the agenda, the pontiff will need to make seven flights. He is also expected to deliver a total of 22 speeches in these countries. This tour has already been called one of the most hectic for him since March 2013, when he was elected the pope of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis is also due to hold meetings with the presidents of Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay — Rafael Correa, Evo Morales and Horacio Cartes – during his visit.

In September, Pope Francis will return to the American continent on a visit to Cuba and the United States.