Pope Francis is wrapping up a Caucasus pilgrimage that began in June in Armenia and ends this weekend with a visit to two other countries with tiny Catholic communities: the Orthodox Christian bastion of Georgia and the largely Shiite Muslim nation of Azerbaijan. 


Given the itinerary, Catholic-Orthodox and Christian-Muslim relations will be high on Francis' agenda. But geopolitical concerns will also lurk behind the scenes during the three-day trip starting Friday in Georgia, one of the world's oldest Christian lands. 


For starters, Georgia is keen to use the trip to highlight its European and Western aspirations, and also draw attention to what it considers the Russian "occupation" of the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia

Source: NNA