Pope Francis’s plane was forced to turn back to Rome during a planned trip to Spain due to a technical problem. The incident occurred after the aircraft made a brief stop in Tenerife for refueling. Rather than continue to Spain, the Pope accepted assistance from the Spanish King and utilized a Spanish royal aircraft to return to Rome. Details regarding the specific technical fault have not been released. Vatican officials confirmed the Pope was unharmed and the trip was postponed. The unexpected return caused disruption to the planned schedule of events in Spain. A new date for the papal visit has not yet been announced.