DAVID RISING, of Associated Press, reflects on the Pope’s visit to South-East Asia with images from AP photographers…
Bangkok, Thailand
AP
Pope Francis has wrapped up his longest and most challenging trip ever, which took the 87-year-old pontiff more than 32,000 kilometres by air to four countries in the Asia-Pacific from 2nd to 13th September.
East Timorese crowd Tasitolu Park for Pope Francis’ Mass in Dili, East Timor, on Tuesday, 10th September, 2024. PICTURE: AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati.
He visited the country with the world’s largest Muslim population – Indonesia, with about 242 million – and the country with the highest percentage of Catholics outside the Vatican itself – East Timor, with some 98 per cent.
He visited two of the world’s poorest countries – Papua New Guinea and East Timor — and one of its richest – Singapore.
Pope Francis consoles a person during a visit at the ‘Irmas ALMA’ (Sisters of the Association of Lay Missionaries) School for Children with Disabilities in Dili, East Timor, Tuesday, 10th September, 2024. PICTURE: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia.
By days and distance, it was one of the longest papal trips ever as Francis sought to reinforce the importance that Asia has to the Catholic Church. It is one of the few places where the church is growing in terms of baptised faithful and religious vocations.
The crowds he drew did not disappoint, with Francis celebrating Mass for about 100,000 people in both Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, 50,000 in Singapore and 600,000 in East Timor – nearly half the country’s population.
Pope Francis greets people at the Presidential Palace in Dili, East Timor, on Monday, 9th September, 2024. PICTURE: Willy Kurniawan/Pool Photo via AP.
Francis used the trip to highlight some of his core priorities as pope, including an emphasis on interreligious and intercultural dialogue, care for the environment and insistence on the spiritual component of economic development.
In Indonesia, he urged the country to live up to its promise of “harmony in diversity” and fight religious intolerance in a visit that included meetings with outgoing President Joko Widodo and President-elect Prabowo Subianto. He greeted Catholic priests, nuns and seminarians at Jakarta’s main cathedral.
After a meeting with the grand imam of Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, South-East Asia’s largest, the two issued a joint call to fight religiously inspired violence and protect the environment.
The Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar, left, bids farewell to Pope Francis, as he leaves after signing the “Joint Declaration of Istiqlal 2024” at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, on Thursday, 5th September, 2024. PICTURE: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia.
In Papua New Guinea, Francis traveled to the remote city of Vanimo, in the jungles of the extreme north-west, bringing with him about a ton of medicine, clothing, musical instruments and toys to donate.
Pope Francis wears a traditional hat during a meeting with faithful in Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, on Sunday, 8th September, 2024. PICTURE: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia.
He was greeted by some 20,000 people singing and dancing on the field in front of the Vanimo cathedral, where he donned a feathered headdress presented to him.
In remarks to the crowd, he urged members of the community to come together to overcome rivalries, a reference to the tribal violence that has grown more lethal in the country in recent years.
Pope Francis meets with people in traditional attire after giving an address during a meeting with young people in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on Monday, 9th September, 2024. PICTURE: AP Photo/Mark Baker.
Overwhelmingly Catholic East Timor greeted Francis with huge crowds, with people jamming his motorcade route from the airport into town cheering as he smiled broadly and waved from his open-backed pickup truck. Nearly half the country showed up for him to celebrate Mass.
In remarks he emphasised that “we are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse,” an apparent reference to a scandal involving Timorese Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo.
Belo was sanctioned in 2020 by the Vatican for sexually abusing young boys, but to this day is still regarded as a hero by many for his efforts in supporting East Timor’s bloody struggle for independence.
Pope Francis leaves after leading a holy mass at Tasitolu Park in Dili, East Timor, on Tuesday, 10th September, 2024. PICTURE: AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati.
As he wrapped up his visit in Singapore, Francis marvelled at the modern city’s skyscrapers, while urging authorities not to forget the workers who built them and to make sure to look out for the poorest of society.
The holy communion is given to the faithful during a mass at the Singapore SportsHub National Stadium, on Thursday, 12th September, 2024. PICTURE: AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia.
He concluded his visit with the same message of tolerance that he delivered at the start, telling a group of young people that those of different faiths need to engage in constructive dialogue rather than insist on the righteousness of their own beliefs.
“All religions are a path to arrive at God,” Francis told the group. “They are like different languages to arrive there. But God is God for all.”
Airport staff wave to an airplane with Pope Francis aboard at Nicolau Lobato International Airport in Dili, East Timor, on Wednesday, 11th September, 2024. PICTURE: AP Photo/Dita Alangkara.
