'Vatican Weekend' for January 17, 2015: Pope Francis in Asia

(Vatican Radio) 'Vatican Weekend' for January 17, 2015 features special coverage of the Apostolic Visit of Pope Francis to Asia from the12th to the 19th of January. This seventh Apostolic journey of Pope Francis abroad took him East for the second time in less than six months. The first such trip took place in August when he travelled to Korea, the second which lasts two days longer began on the 12th of January and ends on the 19th. Perhaps because the countries he visited  were two instead of one, first Sri Lanka and then the Philippines.

Listen to 'Vatican Weekend' for January 17th 2015, a programme presented and produced by Veronica Scarisbrick:

Among the guests in the first part of this programme which focuses on Pope Francis in the Philippines are the Archbishop of Manila, Cardinal Antonio Luis Tagle, the Head of Communications of the Filipino Bishop's Conference Bishop Mylo Vergara, the Head of the Vatican Press Office Father Federico Lombardi SJ and the Head of our English Programme here at Vatican Radio Seàn-Patrick Lovett.

The programme ends with reports on the visit of Pope Francis to Sri Lanka focusing on some of the highlights of his stay, from the canonisation of sevententh century Oratorian Father Joseph Vaz, to his pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine at Madhu, to the ecumenical and inter-faith meeting in the nation's capital Colombo.