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.

Pope Francis will visit Luxembourg on Thursday in a highly-anticipated trip to Europe's second smallest country - and the first papal visit there since 1985 - before heading on to neighbouring Belgium in the evening.

Pope Francis will press ahead with plans to travel to Luxembourg and Belgium later this week, despite cancelling his meetings for Monday due to a mild flu, the Vatican said. The tour, his 46th foreign visit as pope,