Pope Francis on Sunday visited a prison for women in Venice ahead of a mass in the watery city representing the 87-year-old pontiff's first trip outside Rome for seven months. The one-day trip to Venice will be closely watched amid concerns over the fragile health of Francis,

Pope Francis has met with women prisoners in Venice who are the protagonists of the Vatican pavilion at the Venice Biennale art fair.

Pope Francis made his first trip out of Rome for seven months on Sunday with a packed visit to Venice that took in an art exhibition, a prison and a Mass, with the 87-year pontiff acknowledging that life could be hard.