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CV NEWS FEED // Pope Francis, 87, has embarked on his longest Apostolic journey to date, a 12-day visit that will take him across four nations in Asia and Oceania, a September 2 Vatican News report shared.
The trip, marking his 45th international journey as Pope, began on September 2 with his departure from Rome to Jakarta, Indonesia. Upon his arrival, some orphans and a group of migrants and refugees greeted the Pope at the Jakarta nunciature, where the Pope is staying during his visit, according to a September 3 report from Vatican News.
According to the report, the people who welcomed the Pope to their country included not only the small percentage of faithful Catholics in the predominantly Muslim Indonesia, but also “[s]isters and brothers of other faith communities, men and women of goodwill from all walks of life, political leaders and policymakers to whom he tirelessly appeals for commitment and care for the smallest and the weakest of the one human family.”
Vatican News reported on September 2 that in a letter to President of Italy Sergio Mattarella, Pope Francis stated that his motivation for this particular apostolic trip is “driven by the desire to meet with our brothers and sisters in the faith and all those who, in these nations rich in human and spiritual values, have borne witness to solidarity, communion, and dialogue even in times and situations marked by trial….”
After Indonesia, the Pope will continue to Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore.
