List of pastoral visits of Pope John Paul II
During his reign, Pope John Paul II made 104 foreign trips, more than all previous popes combined. In total he logged more than. He consistently attracted large crowds on his travels, some among the largest ever assembled. While some of his trips were to places that were previously visited by Paul VI, many others were to countries that no pope had ever previously visited.
Countries visited
Pope John Paul II visited 129 countries during his time as pope:- Nine visits to Poland
- Eight visits to France
- Seven visits to the United States
- Five visits to Mexico and Spain
- Four visits to Brazil, Portugal, and Switzerland
- Three visits to Austria, Canada, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Germany, Guatemala, Kenya, Malta and Slovakia
- Two visits to Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Hungary, India, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Slovenia, South Korea, Uruguay, and Venezuela
- One visit to Albania, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Denmark, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greece, Guam, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Palestinian territories, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Travels outside Italy
1970s
Pope John Paul II's first foreign journey was a three-country visit to the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Bahamas in January 1979. Some 18 million people were believed to have greeted the Pope during his stay in Mexico.The Pope's second foreign visit was to his homeland, Poland, in June 1979. This was possibly the most significant of all his trips as it, according to some historians, set in train a series of events that led to the establishment of the Solidarity trade union, which was a key movement in the fall of Communism in eastern Europe. During his visit to Poland, John Paul visited Warsaw, Gniezo, Kraków, Nowy Tag, Auschwitz and Jasna Gora. The nine-day tour attracted millions of faithful.
The Pope's visit to Ireland on 29 September drew immense crowds. 1,250,000 people, one quarter of the population of the island of Ireland, one third of the population of the Republic of Ireland, attended the opening Mass of the visit in Dublin's Phoenix Park. Over 250,000 attended a Liturgy of the Word in Drogheda later that evening. Hundreds of thousands lined the streets of Dublin that night for a motorcade from Dublin Airport to the Presidential Residence in the Phoenix Park.
The following day, Sunday 30 September, included Masses in Galway, Knock and a stop over at the monastic ruins of Clonmacnois. The final day of the visit began with a visit to the National Seminary in Maynooth. The final Mass of the visit was at Greenpark Racecourse in Limerick in the south of the country before 400,000 people which was more than had been expected.
John Paul II made his first visit to the United States in October 1979. He arrived in Boston on 1 October. The next two days were spent in New York City, where he addressed the United Nations General Assembly, spoke to students gathered at Madison Square Garden, and conducted Mass at the original Yankee Stadium for 75,000 people as well as at Shea Stadium to an audience of over 52,000. He arrived in Philadelphia on 3 October and Des Moines, Iowa on the next day before arriving in Chicago. There he celebrated Mass in Grant Park, met with civic leaders and Chicago's Polish community. Chicago was the largest Catholic archdiocese in the United States at the time and the home of the largest Polish community outside of Poland. He concluded his pilgrimage to the U.S. in Washington, D.C. where he became the first Pope to visit the White House. He was greeted warmly by President Jimmy Carter, and they met privately in the Oval Office.
| Voyage | Dates | Nations visited | Places visited | Information |
| 1 | 25– 26 January 1979 | Santo Domingo, Santiago de los Caballeros | ||
| 1 | 26 January–1 February 1979 | México, Oaxaca de Juárez, Guadalajara, Monterrey | Attended the Third General Conference of the Latin American Bishops held in Puebla | |
| 1 | 1 February 1979 | Nassau | Technical Stopover | |
| 2 | 2–10 June 1979 | Warsaw, Gniezno, Częstochowa, Kraków, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, Wadowice, Brzezinka, Nowy Targ | Commemoration of the 900th Anniversary of the death of St. Stanislaus and the completion of the Diocesan Synod in Kraków | |
| 3 | 29 September–1 October 1979 | Dublin, Drogheda, Galway, Knock, Limerick, Maynooth | Centenary of the Knock apparitions. | |
| 3 | 1–8 October 1979 | Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Des Moines, Chicago, Washington, D.C. | Address to the United Nations General Assembly where he condemned all uses of concentration camps and torture. | |
| 4 | 28–30 November 1979 | Istanbul, Izmir, Ankara | Met with Patriarch Demetrios I of Constantinople and Patriarch Shenork I Kaloustian of Constantinople |
1980s
On 3 June 1980, he made a pilgrimage to Lisieux in northern France, the home town of St. Therese of the Child Jesus of the Holy Face. In 1997 he declared St. Therese the third woman Doctor of the Church. His 1980 visit to France was the first by a pope since 1814 and his journey to West Germany in November 1980 was the first since 1782.and First Lady Nancy Reagan, 1982
On 18 February 1981, he beatified several martyrs, including those later canonized, St. Lorenzo Ruiz and Magdalene of Nagasaki, in Manila. This was the first beatification to be held outside Vatican City. He became the first reigning pope to travel to the United Kingdom in 1982, where he met Queen Elizabeth II, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England. This trip was in danger of being cancelled due to the then current Falklands War, against which he spoke out during the visit. In a dramatic symbolic gesture, he knelt in prayer alongside Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie, in the See of the Church of England, Canterbury Cathedral, founded by St Augustine of Canterbury. They prayed at the site of the martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket, meant as a show of friendship between the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches. Pope John Paul II was the first Pontiff to visit Scotland. 300,000 of the Roman Catholic minority in that country celebrated Mass with the Pope at Bellahoustan Park. On this visit the Pope faced protest from Protestant Pastor Jack Glass and his followers. This visit had to be balanced for fairness with an unscheduled trip to Argentina that June.
Throughout his trips, he stressed his devotion to the Virgin Mary through visits to various shrines to the Virgin Mary, notably Knock in Ireland, Fatima in Portugal, Guadalupe in Mexico, Aparecida in Brazil and Lourdes in France.
In 1984, John Paul became the first Pope to visit Puerto Rico. Stands were specially erected for him at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, where he met with governor Carlos Romero Barceló, and at Plaza Las Americas.
The pope made a pastoral trip to Singapore in 1986, and was received by the
Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in the Istana. Following that, the Pope made pastoral speeches concerning the Catholic doctrines in the National Stadium of Singapore, which was viewed by a large audience.
| Voyage | Dates | Nations visited | Places visited | Information |
| 5 | 2–6 May 1980 | Kinshasa, Kisangani | Centenary of the Evangelization of Zaire and Ghana. | |
| 5 | 5 May 1980 | Brazzaville | ||
| 5 | 6–8 May 1980 | Nairobi | ||
| 5 | 8–10 May 1980 | Accra, Kumasi | ||
| 5 | 10 May 1980 | Ouagadougou | ||
| 5 | 10–12 May 1980 | Abidjan, Adzopé | ||
| 6 | 30 May–2 June 1980 | Lisieux | First papal visit to France since 1814. Pilgrimage and Visit to UNESCO | |
| 7 | 30 June–12 July 1980 | Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Aparecida, Porto Alegre Curitiba, Salvador, Recife, Teresina, Belém, Fortaleza, Manaus | Inauguration of the 10th National Eucharistic Congress and the 25th Anniversary of CELAM. In visit at S. Paulo, the car was driven by Og Pozzoli | |
| 8 | 15–19 November 1980 | Cologne, Osnabrück, Mainz, Fulda, Altötting, Munich | First papal visit to Germany since 1782. Commemoration of the 700th Anniversary of the death of St. Albert the Great | |
| 9 | 16 February 1981 | Karachi | Stopover | |
| 9 | 17–22 February 1981 | Manila, Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Legazpi, Baguio, Morong | Beatification of Lorenzo Ruiz and Companions in Manila. The first Beatification outside Rome. | |
| 9 | 22–23 February 1981 | Agaña | Stopover | |
| 9 | 23–26 February 1981 | Tokyo, Hiroshima, Nagasaki | ||
| 9 | 26 February 1981 | Anchorage | Second visit to U.S.; Stopover | |
| 10 | 12–17 February 1982 | Lagos, Onitsha, Enugu, Kaduna, Ibadan | ||
| 10 | 17 February 1982 | Cotonou | ||
| 10 | 18–18 February 1982 | Malabo, Bata | ||
| 10 | 18–19 February 1982 | Libreville | ||
| 11 | 12–15 May 1982 | Lisbon, Fátima, Coimbra, Braga, Porto | Pilgrimage to Fatima in thanksgiving to Our Lady for saving him from the assassination attempt on his life. | |
| 12 | 28 May–2 June 1982 | London, Canterbury, Coventry, Liverpool Manchester, York, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff | ||
| 13 | 11 June 1982 | Rio de Janeiro | Plane transfer coming from Rome at the Galeão International Airport with a speech to the Brazilian people. | |
| 13 | 11–12 June 1982 | Buenos Aires | Argentina was at war at the time. Requested peace and to avert conflict between Argentina and Great Britain. | |
| 14 | 15 June 1982 | Geneva | Addressed the 68th Session of the International Workers Conference | |
| 15 | 29 August 1982 | San Marino | ||
| 16 | 31 October–9 November 1982 | Madrid, Salamanca, Toledo, Segovia, Sevilla, Granada, San Sebastián, Javier, Zaragoza, Barcelona, Valencia, Santiago de Compostela | Closing of the 400th anniversary of the death of Teresa of Ávila. Beatified Angela de la Cruz Guerrero in Sevilla. | |
| 17 | 2 March 1983 | Lisbon | Second visit to Portugal; Technical Stopover | |
| 17 | 2–3 March 1983 | San José | ||
| 17 | 4 March 1983 | Managua, León | ||
| 17 | 5 March 1983 | Panama City | ||
| 17 | 6 March 1983 | San José | ||
| 17 | 6 March 1983 | San Salvador | ||
| 17 | 6–7 March 1983 | Guatemala City | ||
| 17 | 8 March 1983 | Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula | ||
| 17 | 9 March 1983 | Guatemala City | ||
| 17 | 9 March 1983 | Belize City | ||
| 17 | 9 March 1983 | Port-au-Prince | Closing of the National Eucharistic and Marian Congress | |
| 18 | 16–23 June 1983 | Warsaw, Częstochowa, Niepokalanów, Szczecin, Kamień Pomorski, Poznań, Katowice, Wrocław, Kraków | Second visit to Poland; 600th Anniversary of the arrival of Our Lady of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa. Beatification of Raphael Kalinowski, Albert Chmielowski in Kraków, and Ursula Ledóchowska in Poznań, visit with then newly released Lech Wałęsa. | |
| 19 | 14–15 August 1983 | Lourdes | Second visit to France; Pilgrimage to Lourdes on the occasion of the 125th Anniversary of the Lourdes Apparitions and the 50th Anniversary of the Canonization of St. Bernadette Soubirous. | |
| 20 | 10–13 September 1983 | Vienna | Participation in the fourteenth Katholikentag | |
| 21 | 2 May 1984 | Fairbanks | Stopover. Third visit to U.S. | |
| 21 | 3-7 May 1984 | Seoul, Taegu, Busan | 200 Years of Roman Catholicism in Korea and Canonization of 103 martyrs in Seoul | |
| 21 | 7-8 May 1984 | Port Moresby | Centenary of the Arrival of the first Missionaries in Papua New Guinea | |
| 21 | 9 May 1984 | Honiara, Guadalcanal | ||
| 21 | 10 May 1984 | Port Moresby | ||
| 21 | 10-11 May 1984 | Bangkok, Phanat Nikhom, Sampran | In gratitude to the Thai people for accepting refugees from the Indochina Peninsula | |
| 22 | 12–17 June 1984 | Lugano, Einsiedeln, Sion | Second visit to Switzerland; 1000th Anniversary of the Abbey of Einsiedeln. | |
| 23 | 9–20 September 1984 | Quebec City, Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Montreal, St. John's, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Moncton, Halifax | First visit to Canada; 200th Anniversary of the establishment of the Catholic Church in Newfoundland. | |
| 24 | 10–11 October 1984 | Zaragoza | Second visit to Spain | |
| 24 | 11-12 October 1984 | Santo Domingo | Inauguration of the 9 year preparation for the 500th anniversary of the discovery and evangelization of the New World. | |
| 24 | 12 October 1984 | San Juan | Inauguration of the 9 year preparation for the 500th anniversary of the discovery and evangelization of the New World. | |
| 25 | 26 -29 January 1985 | Caracas | ||
| 25 | 29–30 January 1985 | Quito, Latacunga, Cuenca, Guayaquil | ||
| 25 | 1–5 February 1985 | Lima, Cuzco, Arequipa, Monterrico, Callao | ||
| 25 | 5 February 1985 | Port of Spain | ||
| 26 | 11–15 May 1985 | Eindhoven, 's-Hertogenbosch, Utrecht, The Hague, Maastricht, Amersfoort | ||
| 26 | 15–16 May 1985 | Luxembourg City | ||
| 26 | 16–21 May 1985 | Brussels, Ghent, Mechelen, Beauraing, Namur, Laken, Leuven, Banneux | ||
| 27 | 8–10 August 1985 | Lomé, Togoville | ||
| 27 | 10 August 1985 | Abidjan | Second visit to Ivory Coast; Dedication of the Cathedral in Abidjian. | |
| 27 | 10–14 August 1985 | Douala, Yaoundé | ||
| 27 | 14 August 1985 | Bangui | ||
| 27 | 14–16 August 1985 | Kinshasa, Lubumbashi | Second visit to Zaire; Beatification of Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta. | |
| 27 | 16–18 August 1985 | Nairobi | Conclusion of the 43rd International Eucharistic Congress | |
| 27 | 19 August 1985 | Casablanca | ||
| 28 | 8 September 1985 | Kloten | Third visit to Switzerland | |
| 28 | 8 September 1985 | Eschen-Mauren, Vaduz | ||
| 29 | 31 January–10 February 1986 | New Delhi, Calcutta, Madras, Goa, Cochin, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Trivandrum, Bombay, Pune | ||
| 30 | 1–7 July 1986 | Bogotá, Chiquinquirá, Popayán, Tumaco, Cali, Chinchiná, Lérida, Armero, Pereira, Medellín, Bucaramanga, Cartagena de Indias, Barranquilla | 400th Anniversary of the Miraculous restoration of Our Lady of the Rosary of Chiquinquira | |
| 30 | 7 July 1986 | Castries | ||
| 31 | 4–7 October 1986 | Lyon, Ars-sur-Formans, Annecy, Paray-le-Monial | Third visit to France; Beatification of Antoine Chevrier and Celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the birth of St. Jean Marie Vianney. | |
| 32 | 19 November 1986 | Dhaka | ||
| 32 | 20 November 1986 | Singapore | ||
| 32 | 21-22 November 1986 | Suva, Nadi | ||
| 32 | 22–24 November 1986 | Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch | ||
| 32 | 24 November–1 December 1986 | Canberra, Brisbane, Sydney, Hobart, Melbourne, Darwin, Alice Springs, Adelaide, Perth | ||
| 32 | 1 December 1986 | Victoria | ||
| 33 | 1 April 1987 | Montevideo | ||
| 33 | 1–6 April 1987 | Santiago, Valparaíso, Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, Concepción, Temuco, Coquimbo, Antofagasta | Thanksgiving to God for a peaceful solution to the long-term territorial conflict between Argentina and Chile | |
| 33 | 6–12 April 1987 | Buenos Aires, Bahía Blanca, Viedma, Mendoza, Córdoba, Salta, Rosario | Second visit to Argentina; celebration of World Youth Day in Buenos Aires | |
| 34 | 30 April-4 May 1987 | Augsburg, Essen, Kevelaer, Münster, Cologne | Second visit to West Germany; beatification in Cologne | |
| 35 | 8–14 June 1987 | Warsaw, Lublin, Tarnów, Kraków, Szczecin, Gdynia, Gdańsk, Częstochowa, Łódź | Beatification of Karolina Kózka and Michał Kozal and participation at the 2nd National Eucharistic Congress in Warsaw. on his third Papal visit to Poland. | |
| 36 | 10–19 September 1987 | Miami, Columbia, SC, New Orleans, San Antonio, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Francisco, Detroit | Fourth visit to U.S. Significance of Columbia, S.C. visit was to the Catholic minority in America's predominantly Protestant fundamentalist Bible Belt. Los Angeles' significance was his arrival day speech to local executives of U.S. entertainment communications, while San Francisco's was his speech of God's love to AIDS carriers, who, like Los Angeles', were mostly homosexual, and to non-infected people that abstinence from illicit sex and drugs and monogamy in marriage are the only main ways to avoid infection. Detroit's visit was mainly to the then-mostly Polish community in Hamtramck. | |
| 36 | 20 September 1987 | Fort Simpson | Second visit to Canada; Visit to the indigenous people, who he couldn't visit during his first Canadian trip in 1984 due to bad weather conditions. | |
| 37 | 7–9 May 1988 | Montevideo, Florida | Second visit to Uruguay | |
| 37 | 9–14 May 1988 | La Paz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Trinidad | ||
| 37 | 14–16 May 1988 | Lima | Second visit to Peru; Closing of the 5th Eucharistic and Marian Congress in Lima | |
| 37 | 16–18 May 1988 | Asunción, Villarrica, Mariscal Estigarribia, | Canonization of St. Roque Gonzalez and Companions | |
| 38 | 23–27 June 1988 | Vienna, Linz, St. Pölten, Trausdorf an der Wulka, Gurk, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Eisenstadt | Second visit to Austria | |
| 39 | 10–13 September 1988 | Harare, Bulawayo | ||
| 39 | 13–14 September 1988 | Gaborone | ||
| 39 | 14–16 September 1988 | Maseru | was excluded from the itinerary because of apartheid, although the flight to Maseru Airport was redirected to Johannesburg Airport and the pope travelled overland to Lesotho. | |
| 39 | 16 September 1988 | Mbabane | ||
| 39 | 16–19 September 1988 | Beira, Maputo, Nampula | ||
| 40 | 8–11 October 1988 | Strasbourg, Metz, Nancy, Mulhouse | Fourth visit to France. Address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Was the target on the 11th of heckling by Ian Paisley. | |
| 41 | 28 April–1 May 1989 | Antananarivo | Beatification of Victoria Rasoamanarivo | |
| 41 | 1–2 May 1989 | Saint-Denis | Fifth visit to France ; Beatification of Jean-Bernard Rousseau | |
| 41 | 2–4 May 1989 | Lusaka, Ndola, Kitwe | ||
| 41 | 5–6 May 1989 | Blantyre, Lilongwe | ||
| 42 | 1–3 June 1989 | Oslo, Trondheim, Tromsø | ||
| 42 | 3–4 June 1989 | Reykjavík, Þingvellir | ||
| 42 | 4–6 June 1989 | Helsinki, Turku | ||
| 42 | 6–7 June 1989 | Copenhagen, Øm | ||
| 42 | 8–10 June 1989 | Stockholm, Uppsala, Linköping, Vadstena | ||
| 43 | 19–21 August 1989 | Santiago de Compostela, Covadonga | Third visit to Spain; Celebration of World Youth Day in Santiago de Compostela | |
| 44 | 7–9 October 1989 | Seoul | Second visit to South Korea, 44th International Eucharistic Congress | |
| 44 | 9–13 October 1989 | Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Maumere, Dili, Medan | ||
| 44 | 14–16 October 1989 | Port Louis, Moka, Rodrigues, Sainte-Croix |
1990s
The Pope's foreign travel programme for 1994 was suspended due to a fall resulting in hip-replacement surgery. Visits to Belgium, the United States, and Lebanon were cancelled as a result. The visits to Belgium and the United States took place in 1995, while the visit to Lebanon was delayed until 1997.There was a plot to assassinate the Pope during his visit to Manila in January 1995, as part of Operation Bojinka, a mass terrorist attack that was developed by Al-Qaeda members Ramzi Yousef and Khalid Sheik Mohammed. A suicide bomber dressed as a priest and planned to use the disguise to get closer to the Pope's motorcade so that he could kill the Pope by detonating himself. Before 15 January, the day on which the men were to attack the Pope during his Philippine visit, an apartment fire brought investigators led by Aida Fariscal to Yousef's laptop computer, which had terrorist plans on it, as well as clothes and items that suggested an assassination plot. Yousef was arrested in Pakistan about a month later, but Khalid Sheik Mohammed was not arrested until 2003. During this trip to the Philippines, on 15 January 1995, the Pope offered Mass to an estimated crowd of 4-5 million in Luneta Park, Manila, the largest papal crowd ever. On 19 September 1996, the Pope traveled to Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, France to meditate and pray st the adjacent tombs of Saint Louis de Montfort and Blessed Marie Louise Trichet. On 22 March 1998, during his second visit to Nigeria, he beatified the Nigerian monk Cyprian Michael Iwene Tansi. In 1999, John Paul II made a final trip to the United States, this time celebrating Mass in St. Louis in the Edward Jones Dome. Over 104,000 people attended the 27 January Mass, making it the biggest indoor gathering in the United States.
| Voyage | Date | Nations visited | Cities visited | Notes |
| 45 | 25–27 January 1990 | Praia | ||
| 45 | 27–28 January 1990 | Bissau | ||
| 45 | 28–29 January 1990 | Bamako | ||
| 45 | 29–30 January 1990 | Ouagadougou | Second visit to Ouagadougou, then in the Republic of Upper Volta | |
| 45 | 30 January 1990 – 1 February | N'Djamena | ||
| 46 | 21–22 April 1990 | Prague, Bratislava | ||
| 47 | 6–13 May 1990 | Mexico City, Veracruz, San Juan de los Lagos, Cuernavaca, Durango, Chihuahua, Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Villahermosa | Second visit to Mexico; Preparations for the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the evangelization of America | |
| 47 | 13 May 1990 | Willemstad | ||
| 48 | 25–27 May 1990 | Valletta, Mellieħa, Gozo, Cottonera, Sliema, Floriana, Rabat | Pilgrimage to the places associated with St. Paul | |
| 49 | 1 September 1990 | Luqa | Stopover | |
| 49 | 1–5 September 1990 | Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Tabora, Moshi | ||
| 49 | 5–7 September 1990 | Bujumbura | ||
| 49 | 7–9 September 1990 | Kigali, Kabgayi | ||
| 49 | 10 September 1990 | Yamoussoukro | Third visit to Ivory Coast; consecration of the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro | |
| 50 | 10–13 May 1991 | Lisbon, Ponta Delgada, Funchal, Fátima | Third visit to Portugal; Pilgrimage to Fatima on the 10th anniversary of Agca's assassination attempt on his life and 74th of the 1917 Marian apparitions there | |
| 51 | 1–9 June 1991 | Koszalin, Rzeszów, Przemyśl, Lubaczów, Kielce, Warsaw, Łomża, Białystok, Olsztyn, Włocławek, Płock | Fourth visit to Poland; Beatification of Józef Sebastian Pelczar, Bolesława Lament and Rafał Chyliński. | |
| 52 | 13–15 August 1991 | Kraków, Wadowice, Częstochowa | Fifth visit to Poland; Beatification of Angela Salawa; Celebration of World Youth Day in Częstochowa in post-Communist, Wałęsa-presidency era Poland | |
| 52 | 16–20 August 1991 | Budapest, Esztergom, Pécs, Nyíregyháza, Máriapócs, Debrecen, Szombathely | ||
| 53 | 12–21 October 1991 | Natal, São Luís, Brasília, Goiânia, Cuiabá, Campo Grande, Florianópolis, Vitória, Maceió, Salvador | Second visit to Brazil; Participation of the 12th National Eucharistic Congress | |
| 54 | 19–23 February 1992 | Dakar, Ziguinchor, Popenguine, Gorée | ||
| 54 | 23–24 February 1992 | Banjul | ||
| 54 | 24–25 February 1992 | Conakry | ||
| 55 | 4–10 June 1992 | Luanda, Huambo, Lubango, Cabinda | 500th anniversary of Christianity in Angola | |
| 55 | 6–7 June 1992 | São Tomé | ||
| 56 | 9–14 October 1992 | Santo Domingo | Third visit to Dominican Republic; 4th Latin American Episcopal Conference and the 5th Centenary of the evangelization of Latin America | |
| 57 | 3–5 February 1993 | Cotonou, Parakou | Second visit to Benin | |
| 57 | 5–10 February 1993 | Gulu, Kampala | ||
| 57 | 10 February 1993 | Khartoum | ||
| 58 | 25 April 1993 | Tirana, Shkodër | Inauguration of St Stephen Main Cathedral, Holy Mass in Shkodër Consecrated 4 Bishops of Albania Speech at Scanderbeg Square in Tirana Meet Mother Teresa | |
| 59 | 12–17 June 1993 | Sevilla, La Rábida Friary, Huelva, Madrid | Fourth visit to Spain; 45th International Eucharistic Congress in Sevilla; 500th anniversary of the evangelization of Latin America | |
| 60 | 9–11 August 1993 | Kingston | ||
| 60 | 11–12 August 1993 | Mérida, Izamal | Third visit to Mexico | |
| 60 | 12–15 August 1993 | Denver, Colorado | Fifth visit to U.S.; Celebration of World Youth Day | |
| 61 | 4–7 September 1993 | Vilnius, Kaunas, Šiauliai, Šiluva | 600th anniversary of the Baptism of Lithuania and visit to the Hill of Crosses. | |
| 61 | 8–9 September 1993 | Riga, Aglona | ||
| 61 | 10 September 1993 | Tallinn | ||
| 62 | 10–11 September 1994 | Zagreb | 900th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Zagreb | |
| 63 | 10–15 January 1995 | Manila | Second visit to Philippines; celebration of World Youth Day 1995 in Manila; The second-largest papal gathering in history. 400th anniversary of the establishment of the first ecclesiastical provinces in the Philippines | |
| 63 | 15–18 January 1995 | Port Moresby | Second visit to Papua New Guinea; Beatification of Peter To Rot | |
| 63 | 18–20 January 1995 | Sydney | Second visit to Australia; Beatification of Mary MacKillop. | |
| 63 | 20–21 January 1995 | Colombo | Beatification of. Joseph Vaz. | |
| 64 | 20–21 May 1995 | Prague, Olomouc, Ostrava | Second visit to Czech Republic, previously western part of Czechoslovakia. Canonization of John Sarkander & Zdislava of Lemberk in Olomouc | |
| 64 | 22 May 1995 | Skoczów, Bielsko-Biała, Żywiec | Sixth visit to Poland. Commemoration of John Sarkander, patron saint of Silesia and Moravia | |
| 65 | 3–4 June 1995 | Brussels | Second visit to Belgium, beatification of Father Damien | |
| 66 | 30 June–3 July 1995 | Bratislava, Nitra, Šaštín, Košice, Prešov, Levoča | Second visit to Slovakia, previously eastern part of Czechoslovakia; Canonization of the Martyrs of Košice | |
| 67 | 14–16 September 1995 | Yaoundé | Second visit to Cameroon | |
| 67 | 16–18 September 1995 | Johannesburg | signing of the Post-Synodal Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa | |
| 67 | 18–20 September 1995 | Nairobi | Third visit to Kenya | |
| 68 | 4–9 October 1995 | Newark, East Rutherford, New York City, Yonkers, Baltimore | Sixth visit to U.S. Visited the United Nations on the 50th anniversary of its creation. | |
| 69 | 5–6 February 1996 | Guatemala City | Second visit to Guatemala | |
| 69 | 7–8 February 1996 | Managua | Second visit to Nicaragua; closing of the National Eucharistic-Marian congress | |
| 69 | 8 February 1996 | San Salvador | Second visit to El Salvador | |
| 69 | 9–10 February 1996 | Guatemala City | ||
| 69 | 9–11 February 1996 | Maiquetia, Caracas, Guanare | Second visit to Venezuela | |
| 70 | 14 April 1996 | Tunis | ||
| 71 | 17–19 May 1996 | Ljubljana, Postojna, Maribor | ||
| 72 | 21–23 June 1996 | Lippstadt, Paderborn, Berlin | Third visit to Germany; Beatification of Bernard Lichtenberg and Karl Leisner. | |
| 73 | 6–7 September 1996 | Budapest, Győr | Second visit to Hungary, 1,000th anniversary of Pannonhalma Archabbey's foundation | |
| 74 | 19–22 September 1996 | Tours, Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, Sainte-Anne-d'Auray, Reims, | Sixth visit to France; 15th centenary of the Baptism of King Clovis & 16th Centenary of the death of St. Martin of Tours | |
| 75 | 12–13 April 1997 | Sarajevo | ||
| 76 | 25–27 April 1997 | Prague | Third visit to Czech Republic, 1,000th anniversary of Adalbert of Prague's martyrdom | |
| 77 | 10–11 May 1997 | Beirut, Harissa-Daraoun | signing of the Post-Synodal Exhortation A New Hope for Lebanon | |
| 78 | 31 May–10 June 1997 | Wrocław, Legnica, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Gniezno, Poznań, Gniezno, Kalisz, Częstochowa, Zakopane, Ludźmierz, Kraków, Dukla | Seventh visit to Poland; 46th International Eucharistic Congress in Wrocław, 1,000th anniversary of the death of St. Adalbert of Prague, Beatification of Bernardyna Maria Jabłońska and Maria Karłowska and canonization of Bl. Queen Jadwiga of Anjou | |
| 79 | 21–24 August 1997 | Paris | Seventh visit to France; Celebration of the 12th World Youth Day and the beatification of Frederic Ozanam | |
| 80 | 2–6 October 1997 | Rio de Janeiro | Third visit to Brazil; II World Meeting of Families with the Pope | |
| 81 | 21–26 January 1998 | Havana, Camagüey, Santiago de Cuba, Santa Clara | ||
| 82 | 21–23 March 1998 | Abuja | Second visit to Nigeria; celebration of the 100th anniversary of the evangelization of Nigeria and the beatification of Cyprian Iwene Tansi. | |
| 83 | 19 June 1998 | Salzburg, Sankt Pölten, Vienna | Third visit to Austria; beatified Maria Restituta Kafka, Jakob Kern and Anton Maria Schwartz. | |
| 84 | 2–4 October 1998 | Zagreb, Split | Second visit to Croatia, beatified Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac | |
| 85 | 22–26 January 1999 | Mexico City | Fourth visit to Mexico; Closing of the Special Assembly for America of the Synod of Bishops and signing of the Post-Synodal Exhortation Ecclesia in America | |
| 85 | 26–27 January 1999 | St. Louis | Seventh visit to U.S. | |
| 86 | 7–9 May 1999 | Bucharest | First papal visit to an Orthodox-majority nation. | |
| 87 | 5–17 June 1999 | Gdańsk, Pelplin, Elbląg, Licheń, Bydgoszcz, Toruń, Ełk, Wigry, Siedlce, Drohiczyn, Warsaw, Sandomierz, Zamość, Łowicz, Sosnowiec, Kraków, Stary Sącz, Wadowice, Gliwice, Częstochowa | Eighth visit to Poland; Closing of the 2nd National Plenary Synod, Beatification of 108 Martyrs of World War II in Warsaw | |
| 88 | 19 September 1999 | Maribor | Second visit to Slovenia, beatification of Anton Martin Slomšek | |
| 89 | 6–8 November 1999 | New Delhi | Second visit to India; signing of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia | |
| 89 | 8–9 November 1999 | Tbilisi, Mtskheta |
2000s
In 2000, he became the first modern Catholic pope to visit Egypt, where he met with the Coptic Pope and the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria.In May 2001, the Pope took a pilgrimage that would trace the steps of his co-namesake, Saint Paul, across the Mediterranean, from Greece to Syria to Malta. John Paul II became the first Pope to visit Greece in 1291 years. The visit was controversial, and the Pontiff was met with protests and snubbed by Eastern Orthodox leaders, none of whom met his arrival.
In Athens, the Pope met with Archbishop Christodoulos, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Greece. After a private 30 minute meeting, the two spoke publicly. Christodoulos read a list of "13 offences" of the Roman Catholic Church against the Orthodox Church since the Great Schism, including the pillaging of Constantinople by Crusaders in 1204. He also bemoaned the lack of any apology from the Roman Catholic Church, saying that "until now, there has not been heard a single request for pardon" for the "maniacal crusaders of the 13th century".
The Pope responded by saying, "For the occasions past and present, when sons and daughters of the Catholic Church have sinned by action or omission against their Orthodox brothers and sisters, may the Lord grant us forgiveness", to which Christodoulos immediately applauded. John Paul also said that the sacking of Constantinople was a source of "deep regret" for Catholics.
Later, John Paul and Christodoulos met on a spot where Saint Paul had once preached to Athenian Christians. They issued a "common declaration", saying, "We shall do everything in our power, so that the Christian roots of Europe and its Christian soul may be preserved.... We condemn all recourse to violence, proselytism and fanaticism, in the name of religion." The two leaders then said the Lord's Prayer together, breaking an Orthodox taboo against praying with Catholics.
He was the first Catholic Pope to visit and pray in a Mosque, in Damascus, Syria. He visited the Umayyad Mosque, where John the Baptist is believed to be interred.
In September 2001 amid post-September 11 concerns, he travelled to Kazakhstan, with an audience of largely Muslims, and to Armenia, to participate in the celebration of the 1700 years of Christianity in that nation. The Pope's final visit was to the Marian Shrine of Lourdes in the south of France.
| Voyage | Date | Nations Visited | Places Visited | Notes |
| 90 | 24–26 February 2000 | Cairo, Mount Sinai | Great Jubilee pilgrimage to Mount Sinai | |
| 91 | 20–21 March 2000 | Amman, Mount Nebo, Al-Maghtas | Great Jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land | |
| 91 | 21–22 March 2000 | Tel Aviv, Nazareth, Jerusalem, Capernaum | Great Jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land | |
| 91 | 21–22 March 2000 | Bethlehem, Dheisheh | Great Jubilee pilgrimage to the Holy Land | |
| 92 | 12–13 May 2000 | Fátima | Fourth visit to Portugal. Great Jubilee pilgrimage to the Marian shrine in Fátima. | |
| 93 | 4–5 May 2001 | Athens | Great Jubilee pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul | |
| 93 | 5–8 May 2001 | Damascus, Quneitra | Great Jubilee pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul | |
| 93 | 8–9 May 2001 | Gudja, Floriana, Ħamrun | Third visit to Malta; Great Jubilee pilgrimage to the footsteps of St. Paul, beatification. | |
| 94 | 23–27 June 2001 | Kiev, Lviv | ||
| 95 | 22–25 September 2001 | Nur-Sultan | ||
| 95 | 25–27 September 2001 | Yerevan, Etchmiadzin | ||
| 96 | 22–23 May 2002 | Baku | ||
| 96 | 23–26 May 2002 | Sofia, Rila Monastery, Plovdiv | ||
| 97 | 23–29 July 2002 | Toronto | Third visit to Canada; Celebration of the 17th World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto. | |
| 97 | 29–30 July 2002 | Guatemala City | Third visit to Guatemala | |
| 97 | 30 July–2 August 2002 | Mexico City | Fifth visit to Mexico; Canonization of Juan Diego | |
| 98 | 16–19 August 2002 | Kraków | Ninth visit to Poland; Dedication of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Kraków, Beatification and 400th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska | |
| 99 | 3–4 May 2003 | Madrid | Fifth visit to Spain; Canonization in Madrid | |
| 100 | 5–9 June 2003 | Rijeka, Osijek, Dubrovnik, Zadar | Third visit to Croatia | |
| 101 | 22 June 2003 | Banja Luka | Second visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina; beatification of Ivan Merz | |
| 102 | 11–14 September 2003 | Bratislava, Trnava, Banská Bystrica, Rožňava | Third visit to Slovakia | |
| 103 | 5–6 June 2004 | Bern | Fourth visit to Switzerland to attend a rally of Swiss Catholic youth. | |
| 104 | 14–15 August 2004 | Tarbes, Lourdes | Eighth and last visit to France, as well as his last papal visit, to mark the 150th anniversary of the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. |
Travels in Italy
1970s
- October 29, 1978: Sanctuary of the Mentorella
- November 5, 1978: Assisi
- May 18, 1979: Montecassino
- August 14, 1979: Albano Laziale
- August 26, 1979: Canale d'Agordo, Malga Ciapela, Marmolada di Rocca, Belluno and Treviso
- September 1, 1979: Nettuno
- September 3, 1979: Albano Laziale
- September 8, 1979: Loreto and Ancona
- September 9, 1979: Grottaferrata
- September 13, 1979: Pomezia
- October 21, 1979: Pompeii
1980s
- March 23, 1980: Cascia and Norcia
- April 13, 1980: Turin
- August 30, 1980: Assergi, Traforo del Gran Sasso and L'Aquila
- September 7, 1980: Velletri
- September 8, 1980: Frascati
- September 14, 1980: Siena
- September 20, 1980: Montecassino and Cassino
- September 28, 1980: Subiaco
- October 5, 1980: Galatina and Otranto
- November 25, 1980: Potenza, Balvano and Avellino
- March 19, 1981: Terni
- April 26, 1981: Orio al Serio, Sotto il Monte and Bergamo
- November 22, 1981: Collevalenza and Todi
- March 12, 1982: Assisi
- March 19, 1982: Rosignano Solvay, Livorno and Sanctuary of Montenero
- April 18, 1982: Bologna and San Lazzaro di Savena
- August 29, 1982: Rimini
- September 5, 1982: Serra Sant'Abbondio and Fonte Avellana
- September 12, 1982: Rubano and Padua
- September 19, 1982: Albano Laziale
- September 29, 1982: Ghedi, Concesio and Brescia
- November 20 and 21, 1982: Ponte Valle, Belice and Palermo
- January 2, 1983: Rieti and Greccio
- March 19, 1983: San Salvo, Termoli and Pescara
- May 20–22, 1983: Milan, Desio, Seregno, Venegono, Monza and Sesto San Giovanni
- August 18, 1983: Palestrina
- September 3, 1983: Anzio
- February 26, 1984: Bari and Bitonto
- May 27, 1984: Viterbo
- July 16–17, 1984: Mount Adamello
- August 12, 1984: Fano
- August 19, 1984: Rocca di Papa
- September 2, 1984: Alatri
- October 5 – 7, 1984: Lamezia Terme, Serra San Bruno, Paola, Catanzaro, Cosenza, Crotone and Reggio di Calabria
- November 2 – 4, 1984: Milan, Varese, Pavia, Varallo and Arona
- December 29, 1984: Grottaferrata
- March 24, 1985: Fucino and Avezzano
- April 11, 1985: Loreto
- May 26, 1985: Salerno
- June 15–17, 1985: Vittorio Veneto, Riese Pio X, Treviso, Venice and Mestre
- June 30, 1985: Atri, Isola del Gran Sasso and Teramo
- September 14, 1985: Albano Laziale
- September 21 – 22, 1985: Genoa and Shrine of Nostra Signora della Guardia
- October 18–20, 1985: Cagliari, Iglesias, Oristano, Nuoro and Sassari
- March 19, 1986: Prato
- May 8–11, 1986: Forlì, Cesena, Imola, Faenza, Brisighella, Ravenna and Cervia
- August 9, 1986: Rocca di Mezzo and Piani di Pezza
- August 31, 1986: Anagni
- September 6 – 7, 1986: Aosta, Courmayeur and Mont Blanc
- September 14, 1986: Aprilia
- October 18 and 19, 1986: Fiesole and Florence
- October 26, 1986: Perugia
- October 27, 1986: Assisi
- March 19, 1987: Civitavecchia
- May 23 – 25, 1987: San Giovanni Rotondo, Monte Sant'Angelo, Manfredonia, Foggia, San Severo, Lucera, Troia, Bovino, Ascoli Satriano and Cerignola
- July 8 – 14, 1987: Lorenzago di Cadore, San Pietro di Cadore and Fortogna
- September 2, 1987: Rocca di Papa
- September 5, 1987: Albano Laziale
- September 7, 1987: Grottaferrata
- April 16 and 17, 1988: Verona
- May 1, 1988: Castel Sant'Elia, Civita Castellana and Nepi
- June 3 – 7, 1988: Carpi, Modena, Fiorano, Fidenza, Piacenza, Castel San Giovanni, Reggio Emilia, Parma and Bologna
- June 11 and 12, 1988: Messina, Tindari and Reggio di Calabria
- July 13 – 22, 1988: Lorenzago di Cadore, Mount Adamello, Col Cumano, Sanctuary of Pietralba and Tesero
- August 19, 1988: Albano Laziale
- August 21, 1988: Rocca di Papa
- September 2 – 4, 1988: Turin, Castelnuovo Don Bosco, Colle Don Bosco and Chieri
- December 30, 1988: Fermo and Porto San Giorgio
- May 21, 1989: Grosseto
- June 25, 1989: Gaeta, Sanctuary of the Madonna della Civita and Formia
- July 12 – 21, 1989: Introd, Oropa, Pollone, Quart and Turin
- September 18, 1989: Orte and Trevignano Romano
- September 22–24, 1989: Pisa, Cecina, Volterra and Lucca
- October 28 and 29, 1989: Taranto and Martina Franca
1990s
- March 18 and 19, 1990: Ivrea, San Benigno Canavese, Scarmagno and Chivasso
- June 17, 1990: Orvieto
- July 2, 1990: Benevento
- July 11 – 20, 1990: Introd, Barmasc and Mont Blanc
- September 20, 1990: Albano Laziale
- September 22 and 23, 1990: Ferrara, Pomposa, Comacchio and Argenta
- October 14, 1990: Genoa
- November 9 – 13, 1990: Naples, Torre del Greco, Pozzuoli, Nocera Inferiore, Pagani, Aversa, Trentola-Ducenta, Casapesenna and Lusciano
- March 18 and 19, 1991: San Severino Marche, Camerino, Fabriano and Matelica
- April 27 and 28, 1991: Matera, Pisticci and Potenza
- June 22 and 23, 1991: Mantova and Castiglione delle Stiviere
- July 10 – 19, 1991: Introd, Susa, Sacra di San Michele and Breuil-Cervinia
- September 2, 1991: Carpineto Romano
- September 7 and 8, 1991: Vicenza
- September 29, 1991: Le Ferriere
- March 19, 1992: Sorrento and Castellammare di Stabia
- April 30 – May 3, 1992: Aquileia, Pordenone, San Vito al Tagliamento, Concordia Sagittaria, Trieste, Gorizia, Gemona del Friuli, Udine and Redipuglia War Memorial
- May 23 and 24, 1992: Nola, Caserta, Santa Maria Capua Vetere and Capua
- June 19 – 21, 1992: Caravaggio, Crema, Lodi and Cremona
- August 17 – September 2, 1992: Lorenzago di Cadore and Domegge di Cadore
- January 9 and 10, 1993: Assisi
- March 19, 1993: Magliano Sabina, Vescovio, Poggio Mirteto, Abbey of Farfa and Monterotondo
- April 22, 1993: Genazzano
- May 8–10, 1993: Trapani, Erice, Mazara del Vallo, Agrigento and Caltanissetta
- May 23, 1993: Cortona
- June 19 and 20, 1993: Macerata, Foligno and Gran Sasso
- July 7 – 16, 1993: Lorenzago di Cadore and Santo Stefano di Cadore
- September 17, 1993: Sanctuary of La Verna and Camaldoli
- September 25 and 26, 1993: Asti and Isola d'Asti
- August 17 – 27, 1994: Introd
- September 17 and 18, 1994: Lecce
- November 4 and 5, 1994: Catania and Siracusa
- December 10, 1994: Loreto
- March 19, 1995: Campobasso, Monte Vairano, Castelpetroso and Agnone
- April 29 and 30, 1995: Trento
- July 12 – 22, 1995: Introd
- September 9 and 10, 1995: Loreto
- November 23, 1995: Palermo
- March 30, 1996: Colle Val d'Elsa
- May 4 and 5, 1996: Como
- July 10 – 23, 1996: Lorenzago di Cadore and Pieve di Cadore
- August 14, 1996: Albano Laziale
- August 9 – 19, 1997: Introd
- September 6, 1997: Marino
- September 27 – 28, 1997: Bologna
- January 3, 1998: Annifo, Cesi and Assisi
- May 23 and 24, 1998: Vercelli and Turin
- July 8 – 21, 1998: Lorenzago di Cadore and Borno
- September 18–20, 1998: Chiavari and Brescia
- May 30, 1999: Ancona
- July 7 – 20, 1999: Introd and Quart
- September 4, 1999: Pontecagnano-Faiano and Salerno
2000s
- July 10 – 22, 2000: Introd
- July 9 – 20, 2001: Introd
- September 16, 2001: Frosinone
- January 24, 2002: Assisi
- May 5, 2002: Ischia
- July 24, 2003: Gran Sasso
- October 7, 2003: Pompeii
- July 5 – 17, 2004: Introd
- September 5, 2004: Loreto