VATICAN CITY_ Pope will travel to India next February on a pastoral tour expected to last nearly two weeks, the Vatican said Saturday.

The Vatican press office, confirming earlier reports from India’s Roman Catholic bishops, said the pope will make the trip at the invitation of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the national bishops conference.

John Paul will leave Rome for India around Jan. 31 and will spend about 12 days turning the country, making stops in more than 10 cities, Vatican sources said,

The trip will be the pope’s 29th outside Italy and his third to Asia. The pope is expected to make at least three other trips abroad during 1986 one in the spring to Latin America, with possible stops in Cuba and Columbia, another to France and a third to Oceania, with stops at Fiji.

Article extracted from this publication >>  November 22, 1985