Vatican: Pope Francis prays to the Virgin Mary for the longest journey of his papacy, to Asia and Oceania

This Sunday Pope Francis went to the papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome to pray for the longest trip of his pontificate that will take him, from September 2 to 13, to four countries in Asia and Oceania.

The Vatican Press Office reported that “this morning, Sunday, September 1, Pope Francis arrived at the Basilica of Santa María Maggiore and stood in prayer, as usual, before the icon of the Virgin. Salvation of the Roman People”.

This, the statement continues, “to entrust him with his next Apostolic Journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.”

“At the end, he has returned to the Vatican,” the statement concludes.

After praying the Angelus this Sunday at the Vatican, Pope Francis asked the thousands of faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square to “please pray for the fruit of this journey.”

The Pontiff has the custom of praying before the ancient Marian icon of the The health of the Roman people (Protector of the Roman people) before starting and after concluding each of her international trips.

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 from 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.