List of pastoral visits of Pope John Paul II

Nations visited by Pope John Paul II

During his reign, Pope John Paul II ("The Pilgrim Pope") made 146 pastoral visits within Italy and 104 foreign trips, more than all previous popes combined. In total he logged more than 1,167,000 km (725,000 mi). He consistently attracted large crowds on his travels, some among the largest ever assembled. While some of his trips (such as to the United States and Israel) were to places that were previously visited by Paul VI (the first pope to travel widely), many others were to countries that no pope had previously visited.

Countries visited

Pope John Paul II visited 129 countries during his time as pope:

In addition, John Paul II made 146 pastoral visits within Italy.

Travels outside Italy

1970s

Millions cheer Pope John Paul II during his first visit to Poland as pontiff
Pope John Paul II, during his first U.S. visit in 1979, at Yankee Stadium, New York City

Pope John Paul II's first foreign journey was a three-country visit to the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Bahamas in January 1979. Some 18 million people were believed to have greeted the Pope during his stay in Mexico.

The Pope's second foreign visit was to his homeland, Poland, in June 1979. This was possibly the most significant of all his trips as it, according to some historians, set in train a series of events that led to the establishment of the Solidarity trade union, which was a key movement in the fall of Communism in eastern Europe. During his visit to Poland, John Paul visited Warsaw, Gniezno, Kraków, Nowy Targ, Auschwitz and Jasna Góra. The nine-day tour attracted millions of faithful.

The Pope's visit to Ireland on 29 September drew immense crowds. 1,250,000 people, one quarter of the population of the island of Ireland, one third of the population of the Republic of Ireland, attended the opening Mass of the visit in Dublin's Phoenix Park. Over 250,000 attended a Liturgy of the Word in Drogheda later that evening. Hundreds of thousands lined the streets of Dublin that night for a motorcade from Dublin Airport to the Presidential Residence in the Phoenix Park.

The following day, Sunday 30 September, included Masses in Galway (300,000), Knock (450,000) and a stop over at the monastic ruins of Clonmacnois (20,000). The final day of the visit began with a visit to the National Seminary in Maynooth (attended by 80,000). The final Mass of the visit was at Greenpark Racecourse in Limerick in the south of the country before 400,000 people which was more than had been expected.

John Paul II made his first visit to the United States in October 1979. He arrived in Boston on 1 October. The next two days were spent in New York City, where he addressed the United Nations General Assembly. There he condemned all uses of concentration camps and torture on the 40th anniversary year of World War II's start in 1939 and subsequent establishment of such camps by both the invading German Nazis and Soviet Communists, with Communism's camps and tortures continuing after the war's end in 1945. The pope later spoke to students gathered at Madison Square Garden, and conducted Mass at the original Yankee Stadium for 75,000 people as well as at Shea Stadium to an audience of over 52,000. He arrived in Philadelphia on 3 October and Des Moines, Iowa on the next day before arriving in Chicago. There he celebrated Mass in Grant Park, met with civic leaders and Chicago's Polish community. Chicago was the largest Catholic archdiocese in the United States at the time and the home of the largest Polish community outside of Poland. He concluded his pilgrimage to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. where he became the first Pope to visit the White House. He was greeted warmly by President Jimmy Carter, and they met privately in the Oval Office.

Voyage Dates Nations visited Places visited Information
1 25– 26 January 1979  Dominican Republic Santo Domingo, Santiago de los Caballeros
26 January–1 February 1979  Mexico México City, Oaxaca de Juárez, Guadalajara, Monterrey Attended the Third General Conference of the Latin American Bishops held in Puebla
1 February 1979  The Bahamas Nassau Technical Stopover
2 2–10 June 1979  Poland Warsaw, Gniezno, Częstochowa, Kraków, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Wadowice, Brzezinka, Nowy Targ Commemoration of the 900th Anniversary of the death of St. Stanislaus and the completion of the Diocesan Synod in Kraków
3 29 September–1 October 1979  Ireland Dublin, Drogheda, Galway, Knock, Limerick, Maynooth Centenary of the Knock apparitions.
1–7 October 1979  United States Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Des Moines, Chicago, Washington, D.C. Address to the United Nations General Assembly
4 28–30 November 1979  Turkey Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara Met with Patriarch Demetrios I of Constantinople and Patriarch Shenork I Kaloustian of Constantinople

1980s

On 3 June 1980, he made a pilgrimage to Lisieux in northern France, the home town of St. Therese of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face. In 1997 he declared St. Therese the third woman Doctor of the Church. His 1980 visit to France was the first by a pope since 1814 and his journey to West Germany in November 1980 was the first since 1782.

The Pope with U.S. President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan, 1982

On 18 February 1981, he beatified several martyrs, including those later canonized, St. Lorenzo Ruiz and Magdalene of Nagasaki, in Manila. This was the first beatification to be held outside Vatican City. He became the first reigning pope to travel to the United Kingdom in 1982, where he met Queen Elizabeth II, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This trip was in danger of being cancelled due to the then current Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas/Guerra del Atlántico Sur), against which he spoke out during the visit. In a dramatic symbolic gesture, he knelt in prayer alongside Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie, in the See of the Church of England, Canterbury Cathedral, founded by St Augustine of Canterbury. They prayed at the site of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket, meant as a show of friendship between the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. Pope John Paul II was the first Pontiff to visit Scotland, where about 300,000 of the Roman Catholic minority in that country celebrated Mass with the Pope at Bellahouston Park. On this visit the Pope faced protest from Protestant pastor Jack Glass and his followers. This visit had to be balanced for fairness with an unscheduled trip to Argentina that June.

Throughout his trips, he stressed his devotion to the Virgin Mary through visits to various shrines to the Virgin Mary, notably Knock in Ireland, Fatima in Portugal, Guadalupe in Mexico, Aparecida in Brazil and Lourdes in France.

In 1984, John Paul became the first Pope to visit Puerto Rico. Stands were specially erected for him at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, where he met with governor Carlos Romero Barceló, and at Plaza Las Americas.

The pope made a pastoral trip to Singapore in 1986, and was received by the Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in the Istana. Following that, the Pope made pastoral speeches concerning the Catholic doctrines in the National Stadium of Singapore, which was viewed by a large audience.

Voyage Dates Nations visited Places visited Information
5 2–6 May 1980  Zaire Kinshasa, Kisangani Centenary of the Evangelization of Zaire and Ghana.
5 May 1980  Republic of the Congo Brazzaville
6–8 May 1980  Kenya Nairobi
8–10 May 1980  Ghana Accra, Kumasi
10 May 1980  Upper Volta Ouagadougou
Pope John Paul II and Archbishop Paul Zoungrana
10–12 May 1980  Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan, Adzopé
6 30 May–2 June 1980  France Lisieux First papal visit to France since 1814. Pilgrimage and Visit to UNESCO
7 30 June–12 July 1980  Brazil Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Aparecida, Porto Alegre
Curitiba, Salvador, Recife, Teresina, Belém, Fortaleza, Manaus
Inauguration of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress and the 25th Anniversary of CELAM.
In visit at S. Paulo, the car was driven by Og Pozzoli
8 15–19 November 1980  West Germany Cologne, Osnabrück, Mainz, Fulda, Altötting, Munich First papal visit to Germany since 1782. Commemoration of the 700th Anniversary of the death of St. Albert the Great
9 16 February 1981  Pakistan Karachi Stopover
17–22 February 1981  Philippines Manila, Parañaque, Quezon City, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Legazpi, Baguio, Morong Beatification of Lorenzo Ruiz and Companions in Manila. The first beatification outside Rome since the institution of solemn beatification in 1662.
22–23 February 1981  Guam Agaña Stopover
23–26 February 1981  Japan Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki
26 February 1981  United States Anchorage Second visit to U.S.; Stopover
10 12–17 February 1982  Nigeria Lagos, Onitsha, Enugu, Kaduna, Ibadan
17 February 1982  Benin Cotonou
18 February 1982  Equatorial Guinea Malabo, Bata
18–19 February 1982  Gabon Libreville
11 12–15 May 1982  Portugal Lisbon, Fátima, Coimbra, Braga, Porto Pilgrimage to Fatima in thanksgiving to Our Lady for saving him from the assassination attempt on his life.
12 28 May–2 June 1982  United Kingdom London, Canterbury, Coventry, Liverpool Manchester, York, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff
13 4 June 1982  Brazil Rio de Janeiro Plane transfer coming from Rome at the Galeão International Airport with a speech to the Brazilian people.
11–12 June 1982  Argentina Buenos Aires Argentina was at war at the time. Requested peace and to avert conflict between Argentina and United Kingdom.
14 15 June 1982   Switzerland Geneva Addressed the 68th Session of the International Workers Conference
15 29 August 1982  San Marino San Marino
16 31 October–9 November 1982  Spain Madrid, Salamanca, Toledo, Segovia, Sevilla, Granada, San Sebastián, Javier, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Valencia, Santiago de Compostela Closing of the 400th anniversary of the death of Teresa of Ávila. Beatified Angela de la Cruz Guerrero in Sevilla.
17 2 March 1983  Portugal Lisbon Second visit to Portugal; Technical Stopover
2–3 March 1983  Costa Rica San José
4 March 1983  Nicaragua Managua, León
5 March 1983  Panama Panama City
6 March 1983  Costa Rica San José
6 March 1983  El Salvador San Salvador
6–7 March 1983  Guatemala Guatemala City
8 March 1983  Honduras Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula
9 March 1983  Guatemala Guatemala City
9 March 1983  Belize Belize City
9 March 1983  Haiti Port-au-Prince Closing of the National Eucharistic and Marian Congress
18 16–23 June 1983  Poland Warsaw, Częstochowa, Niepokalanów, Szczecin, Kamień Pomorski, Poznań, Katowice, Wrocław, Kraków Second visit to Poland; 600th Anniversary of the arrival of Our Lady of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa. Beatification of Raphael Kalinowski, Albert Chmielowski in Kraków, and Ursula Ledóchowska in Poznań, visit with then newly released Lech Wałęsa.
19 14–15 August 1983  France Lourdes Second visit to France; Pilgrimage to Lourdes on the occasion of the 125th Anniversary of the Lourdes Apparitions and the 50th Anniversary of the Canonization of St. Bernadette Soubirous.
20 10–13 September 1983  Austria Vienna Participation in the fourteenth Katholikentag
21 2 May 1984  United States Fairbanks Stopover. Third visit to U.S.
3-7 May 1984  South Korea Seoul, Taegu, Busan 200 Years of Roman Catholicism in Korea and Canonization of 103 martyrs in Seoul
7-8 May 1984  Papua New Guinea Port Moresby Centenary of the Arrival of the first Missionaries in Papua New Guinea
9 May 1984  Solomon Islands Honiara, Guadalcanal
10 May 1984  Papua New Guinea Port Moresby
10-11 May 1984  Thailand Bangkok, Phanat Nikhom, Sampran In gratitude to the Thai people for accepting refugees from the Indochina Peninsula
22 12–17 June 1984   Switzerland Lugano, Einsiedeln, Sion Second visit to Switzerland; 1000th Anniversary of the Abbey of Einsiedeln.
23 9–20 September 1984  Canada Quebec City, Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Montreal, St. John's, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Moncton, Halifax First visit to Canada; 200th Anniversary of the establishment of the Catholic Church in Newfoundland.
24 10–11 October 1984  Spain Zaragoza Second visit to Spain
11-12 October 1984  Dominican Republic Santo Domingo Inauguration of the 9 year preparation for the 500th anniversary of the discovery and evangelization of the New World.
12 October 1984  Puerto Rico San Juan
25 26 -29 January 1985  Venezuela Caracas
29 January-1 February 1985  Ecuador Quito, Latacunga, Cuenca, Guayaquil
1–5 February 1985  Peru Lima, Cuzco, Arequipa, Callao
5 February 1985  Trinidad and Tobago Port of Spain
26 11–15 May 1985  Netherlands Eindhoven, 's-Hertogenbosch, Utrecht, The Hague, Maastricht, Amersfoort
15–16 May 1985  Luxembourg Luxembourg City
16–21 May 1985  Belgium Brussels, Ghent, Mechelen, Beauraing, Namur, Laken, Leuven, Banneux
27 8–10 August 1985  Togo Lomé, Togoville
10 August 1985  Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan Second visit to Ivory Coast; Dedication of the Cathedral in Abidjian.
10–14 August 1985  Cameroon Douala, Yaoundé
14 August 1985  Central African Republic Bangui
14–16 August 1985  Zaire Kinshasa, Lubumbashi Second visit to Zaire; Beatification of Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta.
16–18 August 1985  Kenya Nairobi Conclusion of the 43rd International Eucharistic Congress
19 August 1985  Morocco Casablanca
28 8 September 1985   Switzerland Kloten Third visit to Switzerland
8 September 1985  Liechtenstein EschenMauren, Vaduz
29 31 January–10 February 1986  India New Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Goa, Cochin, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Trivandrum, Bombay, Pune
30 1–7 July 1986  Colombia Bogotá, Chiquinquirá, Popayán, Tumaco, Cali, Chinchiná, Lérida, Armero, Pereira, Medellín, Bucaramanga, Cartagena de Indias, Barranquilla 400th Anniversary of the Miraculous restoration of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquira
7 July 1986  Saint Lucia Castries
31 4–7 October 1986  France Lyon, Ars-sur-Formans, Annecy, Paray-le-Monial Third visit to France; Beatification of Antoine Chevrier and Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the birth of St. Jean Marie Vianney.
32 19 November 1986  Bangladesh Dhaka
20 November 1986  Singapore Singapore
21-22 November 1986  Fiji Suva, Nadi
22–24 November 1986  New Zealand Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch
24 November–1 December 1986  Australia Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart, Melbourne, Darwin, Alice Springs, Adelaide, Perth
1 December 1986  Seychelles Victoria
33 1 April 1987  Uruguay Montevideo
1–6 April 1987  Chile Santiago, Valparaíso, Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, Concepción, Temuco, Coquimbo, Antofagasta Thanksgiving to God for a peaceful solution to the long-term territorial conflict between Argentina and Chile
6–12 April 1987  Argentina Buenos Aires, Bahía Blanca, Viedma, Mendoza, Córdoba, Salta, Rosario Second visit to Argentina; celebration of World Youth Day in Buenos Aires
34 30 April-4 May 1987  West Germany Augsburg, Essen, Kevelaer, Münster, Cologne Second visit to West Germany; beatification in Cologne
35 8–14 June 1987  Poland Warsaw, Lublin, Tarnów, Kraków, Szczecin, Gdynia, Gdańsk, Częstochowa, Łódź Beatification of Karolina Kózka and Michał Kozal and participation at the 2nd National Eucharistic Congress in Warsaw.
11 June 1987 Pope John Paul II arriving at the military airport at Gdynia on his third Papal visit to Poland.
36 10–19 September 1987  United States Miami, Columbia, SC, New Orleans, San Antonio, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Francisco, Detroit, Hamtramck, Pontiac Speech to motion picture, television, magazine publishing, broadcasting and music recording executives at Registry Hotel (Los Angeles, 15th).
20 September 1987  Canada Fort Simpson Second visit to Canada; Visit to the indigenous people, who he couldn't visit during his first Canadian trip in 1984 due to bad weather conditions.
37 7–9 May 1988  Uruguay Montevideo, Florida Second visit to Uruguay
9–14 May 1988  Bolivia La Paz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Trinidad
14–16 May 1988  Peru Lima Second visit to Peru; Closing of the 5th Eucharistic and Marian Congress in Lima
16–18 May 1988  Paraguay Asunción, Villarrica, Mariscal Estigarribia, Canonization of St. Roque Gonzalez and Companions
38 23–27 June 1988  Austria Vienna, Linz, St. Pölten, Trausdorf an der Wulka, Gurk, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Eisenstadt Second visit to Austria
39 10–13 September 1988  Zimbabwe Harare, Bulawayo
13–14 September 1988  Botswana Gaborone
14–16 September 1988  Lesotho Maseru  South Africa was excluded from the itinerary because of apartheid, although the flight to Maseru Airport was redirected to Johannesburg Airport and the pope travelled overland to Lesotho.
16 September 1988  Swaziland Mbabane
16–19 September 1988  Mozambique Beira, Maputo, Nampula
40 8–11 October 1988  France Strasbourg, Metz, Nancy, Mulhouse Fourth visit to France. Address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Was the target on the 11th of heckling by Ian Paisley.
41 28 April–1 May 1989  Madagascar Antananarivo Beatification of Victoria Rasoamanarivo
1–2 May 1989  Réunion Saint-Denis Fifth visit to France (Réunion); Beatification of Jean-Bernard Rousseau
2–4 May 1989  Zambia Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe
5–6 May 1989  Malawi Blantyre, Lilongwe
42 1–3 June 1989  Norway Oslo, Trondheim, Tromsø
3–4 June 1989  Iceland Reykjavík, Þingvellir
4–6 June 1989  Finland Helsinki, Turku
6–7 June 1989  Denmark Copenhagen, Øm
8–10 June 1989  Sweden Stockholm, Uppsala, Linköping, Vadstena
43 19–21 August 1989  Spain Santiago de Compostela, Covadonga Third visit to Spain; Celebration of World Youth Day in Santiago de Compostela
44 7–9 October 1989  South Korea Seoul Second visit to South Korea, 44th International Eucharistic Congress
9–13 October 1989  Indonesia Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Maumere, Dili, Medan
14–16 October 1989  Mauritius Port Louis, Moka, Rodrigues, Sainte-Croix

1990s

Plaque in the Almudena Cathedral, Madrid, marking a 1993 visit by John Paul II

The Pope's foreign travel programme for 1994 was suspended due to a fall resulting in hip-replacement surgery. Visits to Belgium, the United States, and Lebanon were cancelled as a result. The visits to Belgium and the United States took place in 1995, while the visit to Lebanon was delayed until 1997.

Pastoral visit of Pope John Paul II to Bosnia and Herzegovina

There was a plot to assassinate the Pope during his visit to Manila in January 1995, as part of Operation Bojinka, a mass terrorist attack that was developed by Al-Qaeda members Ramzi Yousef and Khalid Sheik Mohammed. A suicide bomber dressed as a priest and planned to use the disguise to get closer to the Pope's motorcade so that he could kill the Pope by detonating himself. Before 15 January, the day on which the men were to attack the Pope during his Philippine visit, an apartment fire brought investigators led by Aida Fariscal to Yousef's laptop computer, which had terrorist plans on it, as well as clothes and items that suggested an assassination plot. Yousef was arrested in Pakistan about a month later, but Khalid Sheik Mohammed was not arrested until 2003. During this trip to the Philippines, on 15 January 1995, the Pope offered Mass to an estimated crowd of 4–5 million in Luneta Park, Manila, the largest papal crowd ever. On 19 September 1996, the Pope traveled to Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, France to meditate and pray st the adjacent tombs of Saint Louis de Montfort and Blessed Marie Louise Trichet. On 22 March 1998, during his second visit to Nigeria, he beatified the Nigerian monk Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi. In 1999, John Paul II made a final trip to the United States, this time celebrating Mass in St. Louis in the Trans World Dome. Over 104,000 people attended the 27 January Mass, making it the biggest indoor gathering in the United States.

Voyage Date Nations visited Cities visited Notes
45 25–27 January 1990  Cape Verde Praia
27–28 January 1990  Guinea-Bissau Bissau
28–29 January 1990  Mali Bamako
29–30 January 1990  Burkina Faso Ouagadougou Second visit to Ouagadougou, then in the Republic of Upper Volta
30 January 1990 – 1 February  Chad N'Djamena
46 21–22 April 1990  Czechoslovakia Prague, Bratislava
47 6–13 May 1990  Mexico Mexico City, Veracruz, San Juan de los Lagos, Cuernavaca, Durango, Chihuahua, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Villahermosa, Zacatecas Second visit to Mexico; Preparations for the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the evangelization of the Americas.
13 May 1990  Curaçao Willemstad
48 25–27 May 1990  Malta Valletta, Mellieħa, Gozo, Cottonera, Sliema, Floriana, Rabat Pilgrimage to the places associated with St. Paul
49 1 September 1990 Luqa Stopover
1–5 September 1990  Tanzania Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Tabora, Moshi
5–7 September 1990  Burundi Bujumbura
7–9 September 1990  Rwanda Kigali, Kabgayi
10 September 1990  Côte d'Ivoire Yamoussoukro Third visit to Ivory Coast; consecration of the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro
50 10–13 May 1991  Portugal Lisbon, Ponta Delgada, Funchal, Fátima Third visit to Portugal; Pilgrimage to Fatima on the 10th anniversary of Ağca's assassination attempt on his life and 74th of the 1917 Marian apparitions there
51 1–9 June 1991  Poland Koszalin, Rzeszów, Przemyśl, Lubaczów, Kielce, Warsaw, Łomża, Białystok, Olsztyn, Włocławek, Płock Fourth visit to Poland; Beatification of Józef Sebastian Pelczar, Bolesława Lament and Rafał Chyliński.
52 13–15 August 1991 Kraków, Wadowice, Częstochowa Fifth visit to Poland; Beatification of Angela Salawa; Celebration of World Youth Day in Częstochowa in post-Communist, Wałęsa-presidency era Poland
16–20 August 1991  Hungary Budapest, Esztergom, Pécs, Nyíregyháza, Máriapócs, Debrecen, Szombathely
53 12–21 October 1991  Brazil Natal, São Luís, Brasília, Goiânia, Cuiabá, Campo Grande, Florianópolis, Vitória, Maceió, Salvador Second visit to Brazil; Participation of the 12th National Eucharistic Congress
54 19–23 February 1992  Senegal Dakar, Ziguinchor, Popenguine-Ndayane, Gorée
23–24 February 1992  The Gambia Banjul
24–25 February 1992  Guinea Conakry
55 4–10 June 1992  Angola Luanda, Huambo, Lubango, Cabinda 500th anniversary of Christianity in Angola
6–7 June 1992  São Tomé and Príncipe São Tomé
56 9–14 October 1992  Dominican Republic Santo Domingo Third visit to Dominican Republic; 4th Latin American Episcopal Conference and the 5th Centenary of the evangelization of Latin America
57 3–5 February 1993  Benin Cotonou, Parakou Second visit to Benin
5–10 February 1993  Uganda Gulu, Kampala
10 February 1993  Sudan Khartoum
58 25 April 1993  Albania Tirana, Shkodër Inauguration of St Stephen Main Cathedral, Holy Mass in Shkodër

Consecrated 4 Bishops of Albania

Speech at Scanderbeg Square in Tirana

Meets Mother Teresa in Tirana, Albania's capital

59 12–17 June 1993  Spain Sevilla, La Rábida Friary, Huelva, Madrid Fourth visit to Spain; 45th International Eucharistic Congress in Sevilla; 500th anniversary of the evangelization of Latin America; consecration of the Almudena Cathedral.
60 9–11 August 1993  Jamaica Kingston
11–12 August 1993  Mexico Mérida, Izamal Third visit to Mexico
12–15 August 1993  United States Denver, Colorado Fifth visit to U.S.; Celebration of World Youth Day
61 4–7 September 1993  Lithuania Vilnius, Kaunas, Šiauliai, Šiluva 600th anniversary of the Baptism of Lithuania and visit to the Hill of Crosses.
A painting of Pope John Paul II inside the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul depicting him in Vilnius.
8–9 September 1993  Latvia Riga, Aglona
10 September 1993  Estonia Tallinn
62 10–11 September 1994  Croatia Zagreb 900th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Zagreb
63 12–16 January 1995  Philippines Manila Second visit to Philippines; celebration of World Youth Day 1995 in Manila; The second-largest papal gathering in history. 400th anniversary of the establishment of the first ecclesiastical provinces in the Philippines
16–18 January 1995  Papua New Guinea Port Moresby Second visit to Papua New Guinea; Beatification of Peter To Rot
18–20 January 1995  Australia Sydney Second visit to Australia; Beatification of Mary MacKillop.
20–21 January 1995  Sri Lanka Colombo Beatification of. Joseph Vaz.
64 20–21 May 1995  Czech Republic Prague, Olomouc, Ostrava Second visit to Czech Republic, previously western part of Czechoslovakia. Canonization of John Sarkander & Zdislava of Lemberk in Olomouc
22 May 1995  Poland Skoczów, Bielsko-Biała, Żywiec Sixth visit to Poland. Commemoration of John Sarkander, patron saint of Silesia and Moravia
65 3–4 June 1995  Belgium Brussels Second visit to Belgium, beatification of Father Damien
66 30 June–3 July 1995  Slovakia Bratislava, Nitra, Šaštín, Košice, Prešov, Levoča Second visit to Slovakia, previously eastern part of Czechoslovakia; Canonization of the Martyrs of Košice
67 14–16 September 1995  Cameroon Yaoundé Second visit to Cameroon
16–18 September 1995  South Africa Johannesburg signing of the Post-Synodal Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa
18–20 September 1995  Kenya Nairobi Third visit to Kenya
68 4–9 October 1995  United States Newark, East Rutherford, New York City, Yonkers, Baltimore Sixth visit to U.S. Visited the United Nations on the 50th anniversary of its creation.
69 5–6 February 1996  Guatemala Guatemala City Second visit to Guatemala
7–8 February 1996  Nicaragua Managua Second visit to Nicaragua; closing of the National Eucharistic-Marian congress
8 February 1996  El Salvador San Salvador Second visit to El Salvador
9–10 February 1996  Guatemala Guatemala City
9–11 February 1996  Venezuela Maiquetia, Caracas, Guanare Second visit to Venezuela
70 14 April 1996  Tunisia Tunis
71 17–19 May 1996  Slovenia Ljubljana, Postojna, Maribor
72 21–23 June 1996  Germany Lippstadt, Paderborn, Berlin Third visit to Germany; Beatification of Bernard Lichtenberg and Karl Leisner.
73 6–7 September 1996  Hungary Budapest, Győr Second visit to Hungary, 1,000th anniversary of Pannonhalma Archabbey's foundation
74 19–22 September 1996  France Tours, Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, Sainte-Anne-d'Auray, Reims, Sixth visit to France; 15th centenary of the Baptism of King Clovis & 16th Centenary of the death of St. Martin of Tours
75 12–13 April 1997  Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo
76 25–27 April 1997  Czech Republic Prague, Hradec Králové Third visit to Czech Republic, 1,000th anniversary of Adalbert of Prague's martyrdom
77 10–11 May 1997  Lebanon Beirut, Harissa-Daraoun signing of the Post-Synodal Exhortation A New Hope for Lebanon
78 31 May–10 June 1997  Poland Wrocław, Legnica, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Gniezno, Poznań, Gniezno, Kalisz, Częstochowa, Zakopane, Ludźmierz, Kraków, Dukla Seventh visit to Poland; 46th International Eucharistic Congress in Wrocław, 1,000th anniversary of the death of St. Adalbert of Prague, Beatification of Bernardyna Maria Jabłońska and Maria Karłowska and canonization of Bl. Queen Jadwiga of Anjou
79 21–24 August 1997  France Paris Seventh visit to France; Celebration of the 12th World Youth Day and the beatification of Frederic Ozanam
80 2–6 October 1997  Brazil Rio de Janeiro Third visit to Brazil; II World Meeting of Families with the Pope
81 21–26 January 1998  Cuba Havana, Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba, Santa Clara
82 21–23 March 1998  Nigeria Abuja Second visit to Nigeria; celebration of the 100th anniversary of the evangelization of Nigeria and the beatification of Cyprian Iwene Tansi.
83 19 June 1998  Austria Salzburg, Sankt Pölten, Vienna Third visit to Austria; beatified Maria Restituta Kafka, Jakob Kern and Anton Maria Schwartz.
84 2–4 October 1998  Croatia Zagreb, Split Second visit to Croatia, beatified Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac
85 22–26 January 1999  Mexico Mexico City Fourth visit to Mexico; Closing of the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops and signing of the Post-Synodal Exhortation Ecclesia in America
26–27 January 1999  United States St. Louis Seventh visit to U.S.
86 7–9 May 1999  Romania Bucharest First papal visit to an Orthodox-majority nation.
87 5–17 June 1999  Poland Gdańsk, Pelplin, Elbląg, Licheń, Bydgoszcz, Toruń, Ełk, Wigry, Siedlce, Drohiczyn, Warsaw, Sandomierz, Zamość, Łowicz, Sosnowiec, Kraków, Stary Sącz, Wadowice, Gliwice, Częstochowa Eighth visit to Poland; Closing of the 2nd National Plenary Synod, Beatification of 108 Martyrs of World War II in Warsaw
88 19 September 1999  Slovenia Maribor Second visit to Slovenia, beatification of Anton Martin Slomšek
89 6–8 November 1999  India New Delhi Second visit to India; signing of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia
8–9 November 1999  Georgia Tbilisi, Mtskheta

2000s

In 2000, he became the first modern Catholic pope to visit Egypt, where he met with the Coptic Pope and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria.

In May 2001, the Pope took a pilgrimage that would trace the steps of his co-namesake, Saint Paul, across the Mediterranean, from Greece to Syria to Malta. John Paul II became the first Pope to visit Greece in 1291 years. The visit was controversial, and the Pontiff was met with protests and snubbed by Eastern Orthodox leaders, none of whom met his arrival.

In Athens, the Pope met with Archbishop Christodoulos, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Greece. After a private 30 minute meeting, the two spoke publicly. Christodoulos read a list of "13 offences" of the Roman Catholic Church against the Orthodox Church since the Great Schism, including the pillaging of Constantinople by Crusaders in 1204. He also bemoaned the lack of any apology from the Roman Catholic Church, saying that "until now, there has not been heard a single request for pardon" for the "maniacal crusaders of the 13th century".

The Pope responded by saying, "For the occasions past and present, when sons and daughters of the Catholic Church have sinned by action or omission against their Orthodox brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us forgiveness", to which Christodoulos immediately applauded. John Paul also said that the sacking of Constantinople was a source of "deep regret" for Catholics.

Later, John Paul and Christodoulos met on a spot where Saint Paul had once preached to Athenian Christians. They issued a "common declaration", saying, "We shall do everything in our power, so that the Christian roots of Europe and its Christian soul may be preserved. ... We condemn all recourse to violence, proselytism and fanaticism, in the name of religion." The two leaders then said the Lord's Prayer together, breaking an Orthodox taboo against praying with Catholics.

He was the first Catholic Pope to visit and pray in a Mosque, in Damascus, Syria. He visited the Umayyad Mosque, where John the Baptist is believed to be interred.

In September 2001 amid post-September 11 concerns, he travelled to Kazakhstan, with an audience of largely Muslims, and to Armenia, to participate in the celebration of the 1700 years of Christianity in that nation. The Pope's final visit was to the Marian Shrine of Lourdes in the south of France.

Voyage Date Nations Visited Places Visited Notes
90 24–26 February 2000  Egypt Cairo, Mount Sinai Great Jubilee pilgrimage to Mount Sinai
91 20–21 March 2000  Jordan Amman, Mount Nebo, Al-Maghtas Great Jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land
21–22 March 2000  Israel Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Capernaum
21–22 March 2000  Palestinian National Authority Bethlehem, Dheisheh
92 12–13 May 2000  Portugal Fátima Fourth visit to Portugal. Great Jubilee pilgrimage to the Marian shrine in Fátima.
93 4–5 May 2001  Greece Athens Great Jubilee pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul
5–8 May 2001  Syria Damascus, Quneitra
8–9 May 2001  Malta Gudja, Floriana, Ħamrun Third visit to Malta; Great Jubilee pilgrimage to the footsteps of St. Paul, beatification.
94 23–27 June 2001  Ukraine Kyiv, Lviv
95 22–25 September 2001  Kazakhstan Astana
25–27 September 2001  Armenia Yerevan, Etchmiadzin
96 22–23 May 2002  Azerbaijan Baku
23–26 May 2002  Bulgaria Sofia, Rila Monastery, Plovdiv
97 23–29 July 2002  Canada Toronto Third visit to Canada; Celebration of the 17th World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto.
29–30 July 2002  Guatemala Guatemala City Third visit to Guatemala
30 July–2 August 2002  Mexico Mexico City Fifth visit to Mexico; Canonization of Juan Diego
98 16–19 August 2002  Poland Kraków Ninth visit to Poland; Dedication of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków, Beatification and 400th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
99 3–4 May 2003  Spain Madrid Fifth visit to Spain; Canonization in Madrid
100 5–9 June 2003  Croatia Rijeka, Osijek, Dubrovnik, Zadar Third visit to Croatia
101 22 June 2003  Bosnia and Herzegovina Banja Luka Second visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina; beatification of Ivan Merz
102 11–14 September 2003  Slovakia Bratislava, Trnava, Banská Bystrica, Rožňava Third visit to Slovakia
103 5–6 June 2004   Switzerland Bern Fourth visit to Switzerland to attend a rally of Swiss Catholic youth.
104 14–15 August 2004  France Tarbes, Lourdes Eighth and last visit to France, as well as his last papal visit, to mark the 150th anniversary of the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

Travels in Italy

1970s

1980s

In this trip, the pope has an encounter with leaders of several religions in a prayer for the peace.

1990s

2000s

See also


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