Vatican: Pope Francis leaves for Asia and Oceania on the longest trip of his papacy

Pope Francis left this Monday, September 2, around 5:32 p.m. (Rome time) for Jakarta (Indonesia), on what will be the longest trip of his pontificate, until next September 13 and in which will also visit Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, which will be on two continents: Asia and Oceania.

The Vatican Press Office reported that this afternoon, shortly before 4:00 p.m., “about 15 homeless people, men and women, accompanied by Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Pontifical Almoner, visited Pope Francis at Casa Santa Marta.” , shortly before starting his trip.

On Sunday, August 31, the Holy Father visited the papal Basilica of Santa María Maggiore to pray before the Marian icon of the Salvation of the Roman Peopleand entrust his visit to the four countries mentioned, something he usually does before and after each of his international trips.

Hours later, before the Sunday Angelus prayer before thousands of faithful in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis asked all the faithful to pray for the fruits of this journey that will last until September 13.

This Monday, Vatican News reported that Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, will not travel with the Pope to Indonesia due to the death of his mother, Ada Miotti Parolin, which occurred on August 31 at the age of 96. It is not known if the Italian cardinal will later join the Pontiff’s trip, after participating in the funeral and burial of his mother.

During the longest trip of his pontificate so far — which includes numerous events in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, Indonesia — the pope is expected to emphasize the themes of interreligious dialogue, solidarity and peace.

The Pope will be officially received in Jakarta, Indonesia, when he arrives on September 3 and will take the rest of the day to rest. The next day, September 4, there will be a welcome ceremony outside the Istana Merdeka Presidential Palace.

Francis will be the third pope to visit Indonesia, after Saint Paul VI and Saint John Paul II.

The Pope’s second full day in Jakarta will begin with an interfaith meeting at the Istiqlal Mosque, the ninth largest mosque in the world.

Pope Francis will conclude his stay in Indonesia with a Mass on the evening of September 5 at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, which can hold 77,000 people, after meeting with people cared for by local charities.

On September 6, Pope Francis will fly to the capital of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, becoming the second Pope to visit this country, after Saint John Paul II, who arrived in this Oceanian country twice.

There the Holy Father will visit local ministries that serve street children and people with disabilities, in addition to meeting with authorities and local clergy. This last event will be at the Sanctuary of Mary Help of Christians.

The following day, the Pope will meet with the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, James Marape, before presiding over Sunday Mass at the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby. He will then head to Vanimo.

On September 9, Pope Francis will travel to the small country of East Timor, which has a population whose vast majority (97%) is Catholic and whose most prominent archbishop was created a cardinal by Francis in 2022.

In Dili, the country’s capital, Pope Francis will visit children with disabilities, meet with local clergy at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, give a speech at the presidential palace and preside over a Mass on the Tasitolu Esplanade.

The last country that the Pontiff will visit, since September 11, will be Singapore, the country with the highest GDP per capita in Asia. There he will meet President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on September 12 before presiding over a Mass at the National Sports Hub Stadium.

On his last day in Asia, the Pope will chair an interfaith meeting with young people at the Catholic Junior College in Singapore and visit a group of elderly people.