Pope Francis wrapped up an arduous 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Friday, defying health concerns to connect with believers from the jungle of Papua New Guinea to the skyscrapers of Singapore.
The 87-year-old pontiff took off for Rome, completing his longest trip in duration and distance since he became head of the world’s estimated 1.4 billion Roman Catholics more than 13 years ago.
The Argentine pope has relied on a wheelchair since 2022 because of knee pain and sciatica, had a hernia operation in June 2023, and battled flu and bronchitis earlier this year.
Occasionally, during his four-nation trip, the pope struggled to keep his eyes open when listening to late-night liturgical readings or to remain engaged during formal military parades.
But he was clearly energized by more freewheeling exchanges – cheerfully goading young people to shout out their agreement with his calls to help those in need.
In a lively final inter-religious meeting with young Singaporeans, the pope urged them to respect other beliefs, avoid being “slaves” to technology and to get out of their comfort zones.
The historic tour, initially planned for 2020 but postponed by the Covid-19 pandemic, has included 43 hours of flight time and a distance of 32,000 kilometers (almost 20,000 miles).
‘Superstition and Magic’
But neither the pace – 16 speeches and up to eight hours of time difference – nor the heat or multiple meetings, forced any rescheduling of his international odyssey.
On a trip that took him to the outer edges of the Church’s world, the pope delivered a sometimes uncomfortable message for leaders not to forget the poor and marginalized.
In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority state, he visited the capital Istiqlal Mosque to deliver a joint message against conflict and climate change.
In sweltering Papua New Guinea, he donned a Bird of Paradise headdress in a remote, jungle village where he told inhabitants to halt violence and renounce “superstition and magic.”
And in staunchly Roman Catholic East Timor, he addressed nearly half the population, drawing about 600,000 rapturous believers in the tropical heat to a celebration of mass on the island’s coast.
‘Deeply Touched’
But he also called on them to do more to prevent abuse against young people, in a nod to recent Catholic Church child abuse scandals.
In the affluent city-state of Singapore, the pope called for “special attention” to be paid to protecting the dignity of migrant workers.
With Clement Melki
