The Vatican announced July 5 that Pope Francis will travel to the far reaches of Asia and Oceania in September, following a heavy schedule that includes sixteen speeches, three Masses, and 32,000 km of flight travel.
The trip, Francis’s longest since his election in 2013, will take him from September 2 to 13 to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. The 87-year-old pope will face a significant physical challenge on this tour.
An interfaith meeting in Jakarta
Leading a rapidly growing Church in Asia, the Argentine pope will preside over three Masses at stadiums in Jakarta, Port Moresby, and Singapore, according to the official program released by the Holy See’s press office.
In Jakarta, the capital of the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, one of the highlights of his visit will be his participation in an interfaith meeting at the Istiqlal Mosque on September 5.
In Papua New Guinea, an Oceanian country marked by deadly riots earlier this year, the pope will meet with street children and make a one-day trip to Vanimo (north).
As is customary, he will meet with local authorities, the diplomatic corps, and local clergy members at each stop.
A program adapted to preserve his health
With two speeches per day, the program has been adapted to preserve the pope’s health. On the first day in Jakarta, the pope’s schedule will be free after more than 13 hours of flight, which allows him to recover and adjust to the time difference.
This trip was initially planned for September 2020 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite increasingly fragile health, the Argentine pope wished to honor his invitation to these countries, which he described as the “peripheries,” emphasizing the church’s evangelization and missionary work.
Pope Francis has been using a wheelchair for two years and has recently suffered from knee, hip, and colon issues and has respiratory frailties. He has not traveled abroad since his trip to Marseille in September 2023.
After this trip, he will visit Luxembourg and Belgium at the end of September.
Source link : https://international.la-croix.com/world/vatican-details-francis-schedule-in-asia-and-oceania
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Publish date : 2024-07-08 07:10:31
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