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VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican has confirmed the dates for Pope Francis' second trip to Asia, a weeklong visit Jan. 12-19 to Sri Lanka and the Philippines.
Francis had already announced his intention to visit Sri Lanka and meet with victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which killed some 6,300 people, left another 1,060 missing and devastated parts of the central Philippines last year.
The Vatican press office said Tuesday that Francis would visit Sri Lanka Jan. 12-15, and spend the remainder of the trip in the Philippines. The full program will be released later.
Francis will become the first pope in nearly two decades to visit the Far East when he travels to South Korea Aug. 14-18. He has said he wants to visit Asia since Pope Benedict XVI never got there.
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