Seven speeches over three and a half days are on the programme for the Pope's trip to Luxembourg and Belgium, which the Vatican announced on Friday.
The trip begins on Thursday (26 September) in Luxembourg and ends on Sunday lunchtime (29 September) in Brussels.
The highlights and actual reason for the trip are two speeches by the Pope at the Flemish Catholic University of Leuven and the French-speaking Catholic University of Louvain-La-Neuve.
Both universities will soon be celebrating the 600th anniversary of their joint existence.
In the last quarter of the 20th century, the University of Louvain was a stronghold of so-called liberation theology, which had a decisive influence on the development of the Catholic Church in Latin America, where Pope Francis comes from.
Meeting with the Grand Duke and King
In addition to the speeches to students and teachers, the sermon at the large open-air mass in the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels on Sunday morning will be another highlight.
No church services are planned in Luxembourg, only a meeting with Catholics in Luxembourg City Cathedral.
In both countries, the Pope will also meet the crowned heads of state and the respective heads of government. Visits to EU institutions are not on the programme.
Belgium and Luxembourg were strongly Catholic countries until the end of the 20th century, with Catholics making up over 70 per cent of the population. The influence of the Church has declined significantly in both countries in recent years.
In Luxembourg, a treaty was signed in 2015 that provides for the separation of church and state.
In Belgium, on the other hand, the state continues to pay the salaries of the clergy of all regional communities.
In the kingdom, several abuse scandals have also severely damaged the reputation of the Catholic Church.
This is Francis' second trip abroad this year.
Before that, the 87-year-old will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore from 2 to 13 September.