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CV NEWS FEED // Pope Francis is going to embark on the longest journey of his pontificate in September, when he will travel to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore.
Earlier this week, the bishops of Indonesia confirmed that the pope will be traveling there from Sept. 3-6, the first part of the trip.
Today, the Vatican announced confirmation of Pope Francis’ travels to the other countries as well, set to begin on Sept. 2 and conclude on Sept. 13.
According to the Associated Press, more stops potentially may be added to the traveling. AP News reported that this week, “the Vatican foreign minister, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, was in Vietnam and discussed a papal visit, Vatican News reported, without providing details.”
However, Vietnam was not confirmed in the list of countries Pope Francis will visit in the upcoming trip.
The trip is going to be the longest journey of Pope Francis’ pontificate, AP News pointed out.
Indonesia’s foreign ministry issued a statement about Pope Francis’ upcoming visit. According to AP News, the statement explained that the visit “holds significant importance to the Indonesian people, not only for Catholics but also for all religious communities. The visit is also expected to strengthen the message of tolerance, unity and world peace.”
After Indonesia, Pope Francis will visit Papua New Guinea from Sept. 6 to 9. He will visit East Timor from Sept. 9 to 11, and then conclude with Singapore.
Cardinal William Goh of Singapore said in a statement, according to AP News, that the upcoming visit “will bring renewed fervor to all Catholics in Singapore, uniting them in faith and mission, especially in these most challenging of times.”
CatholicVote previously reported that Pope Francis was going to travel to Indonesia in 2020, but the trip was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
