Pope Francis will pay an official visit to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday. He will deliver a formal address to the members in the Chamber.

The Pope was invited to the EP by President Martin Schulz during a visit to the Vatican in October last year. This is the first visit to the Parliament by a sovereign pontiff in 26 years.

The last time visit was in 1988, when Pope Jean Paul II delivered an address to Parliament, just one year before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

"We are very honoured and proud to receive Pope Francis in the European Parliament. Through his speech to the European Parliament he will have the opportunity to address the millions of citizens represented by our Members," President Schulz said.

"I look forward to his opinion on shared concerns such as the economic crisis, the fight against poverty, immigration policy and several other matters where a solution needs a stronger and more dynamic European Union," he added.

The Pope will be received with a welcoming ceremony comprising the two anthems and a flag raising ceremony.

After the ceremony, President Schulz will introduce the Pope to the members of the bureau and Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament.

Pope Francis will then deliver his speech to MEPs before visiting the Council of Europe.

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