VIDEO: The Best Moments of Pope Francis in 2014

An intense 12 months of apostolic visits both inside and outside of Italy were major highlights of Pope Francis’ year. They included two trips of great significance to Catholic-Orthodox relations: the first in May to the Holy Land that commemorated the 50th anniversary of Paul VI’s historic meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, and a second in November to Turkey on the Feast of St. Andrew. In August, he made his first trip to Southeast Asia, to attend Asian World Youth Day in Seoul, South Korea.

The Pope’s pastoral visits to Italy included Cassano all’Ionio and Molise, both suffering from the scourge of organized crime, and Caserta where he addressed a major Evangelical conference. He also flew to Redipuglia in Northern Italy to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I.

Diane Montagna is Rome correspondent for Aleteia's English edition.