President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca is breaking with a long-standing tradition this week.

It has long been the practice that a newly-elected President’s first visit outside Malta is made to the Vatican for an audience with the Pope.

But the President’s engagements for this week see her going to Poland on Tuesday on an official visit for the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of Polish freedom, which will be held in Warsaw.

President Coleiro Preca is due to attend official state functions hosted by the President of Poland and on Wednesday she will be meeting members of the Maltese community at the Maltese embassy.

On Friday, the President leaves Malta again on an official visit to Paris where she will attend the 2014 Global Summit of Women.

No announcement has been made so far about a visit to the Vatican.

President Coleiro Preca was also absent from the canonisation ceremony for the two Popes in April.