Pope Francis is set to visit Malta in the early days of December.

The news of the pontiff's visit to Malta has long made the headlines, but although no official date has been announced, it is envisaged that the head of the Catholic Church will come over before the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

MaltaToday today reports that it is likely that the visit will be any day between 4 and 7 December.

The Pope will be visiting Cyprus on 2 and 3 December, following which he will go to Greece and stop in Malta before returning to Rome.

His itinerary in Malta is still to be made official and it is still unclear whether he will spend one night here or just visit for a day.

Archbishop Charles Scicluna made no mention of the papal visit in yesterday's homily on Independence Day.

Pope Francis was originally set to visit Malta in May 2020 but this was postponed because of the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.]

He will be the third pope to visit the islands. Pope John Paul II had visited twice in 1990 and 2001, while Pope Benedict XVI had come in 2010.