Pope embarks on historic Asia Pacific tour

Pope Francis has arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia, for the beginning of his forty fifth Apostolic Journey that can even take him to Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and Singapore. 

He will spend three nights in Jakarta, the capital of the world’s most populous Muslim majority nation. His first official engagements begin on Wednesday and include a visit to the primary mosque, a gathering with outgoing president Joko Widodo, and celebrating mass with around 70,000 people.

The 87-year-old’s tour of Asia and Oceania will span an intensive 12 days – his longest Apostolic Journey abroad to this point. 

After Indonesia, Francis will travel to Papua New Guinea, which is home to 2 million Catholics. The last papal visit to the bulk Christian nation was in 1984 by Pope St John Paul II. While within the country, Francis will show his closeness to those suffering the consequences of poverty and natural disasters. He can even travel to the distant city of Vanimo where he can have a non-public meeting with missionaries from his native Argentina.

The next leg of his tour will take him to Timor-Leste, a former Portuguese colony and Asia’s most Catholic country. When John Paul II visited in 1989, the country was still under Indonesian occupation. During his time there, Francis will meet Jesuits and kids with disabilities. 

The final leg of his tour is Singapore, where around six per cent of the population is Catholic. He will have a good time mass on the 55,000-capacity National Stadium.

Michel Chambon, a theologian and anthropologist on the National University of Singapore, told the BBC that the visit is “not simply regional”. 

“It is way more a worldwide statement to reaffirm the universal possibility for Christian-Muslim fraternal engagement,” he said.