PARIS
Pope Francis is to visit France next year, a Vatican spokesman announced Tuesday.
It will be the first papal visit to France, home to 38 million Roman Catholics, since 2008.
The pope is already due to visit Strasbourg in November to address the European Parliament and the Council of Europe, but his visit is likely to be be limited to European institutions.
The 77-year-old pontiff will then travel to Turkey a few days later for a two-day visit, as well as visiting Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January.
French President Francois Hollande visited the Vatican in January and formally invited the pope to visit. The French government and the Holy See are deeply divided over issues including abortion and gay marriage.
Since becoming pope in March 2013, Francis has visited Brazil, the Holy Land, South Korea and Albania.
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