Pope Francis heads to Cyprus and Greece on Thursday for a five-day trip intended to strengthen ties with the Orthodox Church and highlight the migration crisis with a return trip to Lesbos.

Just weeks from his 85th birthday, months after undergoing colon surgery in July, and despite the rapidly changing coronavirus situation in Europe, the Pope is back on the road to push two of the priorities of his papacy.

His first stop is Cyprus from December 2-4, followed by two days in Greece -- both countries that have an Orthodox majority and are home to tens of thousands of Catholics. 

The 4,500-kilometre round-trip will include a dozen speeches and various meetings with political and religious leaders, including Greece's top cleric, Archbishop Ieronymos.

In a highly symbolic moment, Francis will also return on December 5 to the island of Lesbos, a key gateway for migrants into Europe, where he famously declared in April 2016, "We are all migrants." 

But it remains a tragically live issue today, from the recent drownings in the Channel to the escalating situation at the border between Belarus and Poland.

The Pope is expected to again call the world's attention to the migration crisis, which he has called "the worst humanitarian catastrophe since World War II."

A strong message

In Lesbos, the Pope plans to make "a humanitarian statement, not a political statement," Josif Printezis, the archbishop of Greece's Aegean islands, told AFP. 

"He wants to raise awareness among European citizens about the issue of refugees because the Mediterranean is full of drowned people."

Pope Francis' return to Lesbos represents "a very strong message" especially since "the situation has worsened," said Roberto Zuccolini, Spokesperson for the Italian lay Catholic association Sant'Egidio, which has been helping migrants in Europe since 2015, particularly in Greece. 

Cyprus and its divided capital

A Vatican source mentioned that Pope Francis is expected to deliver "a plea for unity and peace" during his first stop in Cyprus.

The Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974. In the south is the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European Union, and over the border is the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is only recognized by Ankara. 

Negotiations to end the dispute between the two sides have been stalled since 2017.

On Friday, the Pope will celebrate a Mass at a stadium in front of 7,000 people, and an ecumenical prayer with migrants will be held near the "green line" separating the capital in two.

It will be the Pope's 35th international trip since becoming Pope in 2013 and comes just weeks after his last to Budapest and Slovakia. 

He also made a historic trip to Iraq in March after which he confided that he felt "much more tired" than during previous trips. However, he announced he intended to continue his travels in 2022, especially in Oceania.