Pope embarks on longest, farthest and most challenging trip to Asia, with China in the background

Nicole Winfield, Associated Press

VATICAN CITY (AP) — If immoderate grounds were needed to underscore that Pope Francis’ upcoming travel to Asia and Oceania is nan longest, farthest and astir challenging of his pontificate, it’s that he’s bringing on his secretaries to thief him navigate nan four-country programme while keeping up pinch activity backmost home.

Francis will timepiece 32,814 kilometers (20,390 miles) by aerial during his Sept. 2-13 sojourn to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, acold surpassing immoderate of his erstwhile 44 overseas trips and notching 1 of nan longest papal trips ever, some successful position of days connected nan roadworthy and distances traveled.

That’s nary mini feat for a pope who turns 88 successful December, uses a wheelchair, mislaid portion of a lung to a respiratory infection arsenic a young man and had to cancel his past overseas travel astatine nan past infinitesimal (to Dubai successful November to participate successful nan U.N. ambiance conference) connected doctors’ orders.

But Francis is pushing up pinch this trip, primitively planned for 2020 but postponed because of COVID-19. He’s bringing on his aesculapian squad of a expert and 2 nurses and taking nan accustomed wellness precautions connected nan ground. But successful a novelty, he’s adding his individual secretaries into nan accepted Vatican delegation of cardinals, bishops and security.

The agelong travel recalls nan globetrotting travels of St. John Paul II, who visited each 4 destinations during his quarter-century pontificate, though East Timor was an occupied portion of Indonesia astatine nan clip of his landmark 1989 trip.

By retracing John Paul’s steps, Francis is reinforcing nan value that Asia has for nan Catholic Church, since it’s 1 of nan fewer places wherever nan religion is increasing successful position of baptized religious and belief vocations. And he is highlighting that nan analyzable region besides embodies immoderate of his halfway priorities arsenic pope – an accent connected interreligious and intercultural dialogue, attraction for nan situation and insistence connected nan belief constituent of economical development.

Here is simply a look astatine nan travel and immoderate of nan issues that are apt to travel up, pinch nan Vatican’s relations pinch China ever-present successful nan inheritance successful a region wherever Beijing wields tremendous influence.

Indonesia

Francis loves gestures of interfaith fraternity and harmony, and location could beryllium nary amended awesome of belief tolerance astatine nan commencement of his travel than nan underground “Tunnel of Friendship” linking Indonesia’s main Istiqlal mosque to nan country’s Catholic cathedral.

The Church of Our Lady of nan Assumption, popularly known arsenic nan Jakarta Cathedral is illuminated during dusk successful Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 8, 2024. | Achmad Ibrahim, Associated Press file

Francis will sojourn nan underpass successful cardinal Jakarta pinch nan expansive imam, Nasaruddin Umar, earlier some partake successful an interfaith gathering and motion a associated declaration.

Francis has made improving Christian-Muslim relations a priority, and has often utilized his overseas travels to beforehand his schedule of committing belief leaders to activity for bid and tolerance, and renounce unit successful God’s name.

Indonesia is location to nan world’s largest Muslim organization and has enshrined belief state successful its constitution, officially recognizing six religions — Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Protestantism and Catholicism. Francis is apt to item this contented of belief tolerance and observe it arsenic a connection for nan broader world.

“If we are capable to create a benignant of collaboration betwixt each other, that could beryllium a awesome spot of nan Indonesian nation,” nan imam said successful an interview.

Muslims execute Friday dream astatine Istiqlal Mosque successful Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024. | Tatan Syuflana, Associated Press file

Papua New Guinea

Francis was elected pope successful 2013 mostly connected nan spot of an extemporaneous reside he delivered to his chap cardinals successful which he said nan Catholic Church needed to spell to nan “peripheries” to scope those who request God’s comfortableness nan most. When Francis travels heavy into nan jungles of Papua New Guinea, he will beryllium fulfilling 1 of nan marching orders he group retired for nan early pope connected nan eve of his ain election.

Few places are arsenic remote, peripheral and poverty-wracked arsenic Vanimo, a bluish coastal municipality connected nan main land of New Guinea. There Francis will meet pinch missionaries from his autochthonal Argentina who are moving to bring Christianity to a mostly tribal group who still believe pagan traditions alongside nan Catholic faith.

“If we suspend our preconceptions, moreover successful tribal cultures we tin find quality values adjacent to Christian ideals,” Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, who heads nan Vatican’s missionary evangelization agency and is portion of nan Vatican delegation, told nan Fides missionary news agency.

Francis will apt bespeak connected nan biology threats to susceptible and mediocre places for illustration Papua New Guinea, specified arsenic heavy oversea mining and ambiance change, while besides pointing to nan diverseness of its estimated 10 cardinal group who speak immoderate 800 languages but are prone to tribal conflicts.

East Timor

When John Paul visited East Timor successful 1989, he sought to console its overwhelmingly Catholic organization who had suffered nether Indonesia’s sadistic and bloody business for 15 years already.

“For galore years now, you person knowledgeable demolition and decease arsenic a consequence of conflict; You person known what it intends to beryllium nan victims of hatred and struggle,” John Paul told nan religious during a seaside Mass successful Tasi-Toli, adjacent Dili.

“I believe that those who person work for life successful East Timor will enactment pinch contented and bully will towards all, arsenic they hunt for a conscionable and serene solution of coming difficulties,” he said past successful a nonstop situation to Indonesia.

This Oct. 12, 1989 record photograph shows Pope John Paul II shaking hands pinch flag-waving section students upon his presence successful Dili, East Timor. Pope Francis will timepiece 32,814 kilometers by aerial during nan Sept. 2-13 sojourn to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore, acold surpassing immoderate of his erstwhile trips and notching 1 of nan longest papal trips ever, some successful position of days connected nan roadworthy and distances traveled. | Bullit Marquez, Associated Press

It would return different decade for nan United Nations to shape a referendum connected Timor’s independence, aft which Indonesia responded pinch a scorched-earth run that near nan erstwhile Portuguese colony devastated. East Timor emerged arsenic an independent state successful 2002, but still bears nan trauma and scars of an business that near arsenic galore arsenic 200,000 group dormant — astir a 4th of nan population.

Francis will virtually locomotion successful John Paul’s footsteps erstwhile he celebrates Mass connected nan aforesaid seaside esplanade arsenic that 1989 liturgy, which immoderate spot arsenic a cardinal day successful nan Timorese independency movement.

“That Mass pinch nan pope was a very strong, very important infinitesimal for Timor’s identity,” said Giorgio Bernardelli, editor of AsiaNews, nan missionary news agency. “It besides successful galore ways put nan spotlight connected nan play that Timor was surviving for nan world community.”

Billboards welcoming Pope Francis are seen successful Dili, East Timor, Aug. 13, 2024. | Achmad Ibrahim, Associated Press file

Another bequest that will face Francis is that of nan clergy intersexual maltreatment scandal: Revered independency leader and Nobel Peace Prize victor Bishop Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo was secretly sanctioned by nan Vatican successful 2020 for sexually abusing young boys.

There is nary connection connected whether Francis will mention to Belo, who is still revered successful East Timor but has been barred by nan Vatican from ever returning.

Singapore

Francis has utilized respective of his overseas trips to nonstop messages to China, beryllium they nonstop telegrams of greetings erstwhile he flies done Chinese airspace aliases much indirect gestures of esteem, relationship and fraternity to nan Chinese group erstwhile nearby.

Francis’ sojourn to Singapore, wherever three-quarters of nan organization is ethnically Chinese and Mandarin is an charismatic language, will springiness him yet different opportunity to scope retired to Beijing arsenic nan Vatican seeks improved ties for nan liking of China’s estimated 12 cardinal Catholics.

“It’s a religious people, who lived done a batch and remained faithful,” Francis told nan Chinese state of his Jesuit bid successful a caller interview.

The travel comes a period earlier nan Vatican is group to renew a landmark 2018 statement governing bishop nominations.

Just past week, nan Vatican reported its “satisfaction” that China had officially recognized Tianjin Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen, who arsenic acold arsenic nan Vatican is concerned had really taken complete arsenic bishop successful 2019. The Holy See said China’s charismatic nickname of him nether civilian rule now was “a affirmative consequence of nan speech established complete nan years betwixt nan Holy See and nan Chinese government.”

But by arriving successful Singapore, a location economical powerhouse which maintains bully relations pinch some China and nan United States, Francis is besides stepping into a prolonged maritime conflict arsenic China has grown progressively assertive pinch its beingness successful nan South China Sea.

___

AP writers Edna Tarigan successful Jakarta, Indonesia and David Rising successful Bangkok contributed.

___

Associated Press belief sum receives support done nan AP’s collaboration pinch The Conversation US, pinch backing from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Catholic nuns expanse a sidewalk successful Dili, East Timor, Aug. 12, 2024. | Achmad Ibrahim, Associated Press file