Pope Leo XIV finally returned home late on Friday after a delay due to technical problems with his aircraft.
The pope landed at Fiumicino Airport at 11:03 pm (2103 GMT) on board an Army Falcon aircraft provided by Spain's King Felipe for the journey, marking the end to his week-long visit to Spain, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The Iberia-operated jet the pontiff was meant to travel on was unable to take off late in the afternoon from the Canary Island of Tenerife due to technical problems. King Felipe, who had already officially bid farewell to the pontiff, boarded that plane and asked Leo to wait with him in the airport's VIP lounge.
The head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics had been in Spain since last Saturday. He was originally scheduled to return to Rome around 8 pm with his delegation from the Vatican and numerous journalists on board.
Due to extended appointments, he was already an hour late for the scheduled departure.
During his last engagements on Friday, Leo again criticized human-trafficking rings and others who profit from migration. He also addressed the issues of a meritocracy and mass tourism, which are now causing problems and sparking discontent in the Canary Islands as well.
