Pope Francis arrived in Luxembourg on Thursday for a brief visit to one of Europe's smallest countries ahead of a weekend trip to Belgium, where he will highlight the needs of migrants and meet a group of survivors of abuse by Catholic clergy.

Pope Francis kicked off a four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium Thursday with an appeal for international diplomacy and negotiations amid flaring conflicts across the globe.The 87-year-old pontiff,

Pope Francis on Thursday began his trip to once-strong bastions of Christianity in the heart of Europe in an effort to reinvigorate a Catholic flock that is dwindling in the face of secular trends and abuse scandals that have largely emptied the continent’s magnificent cathedrals and village churches.