Pope Francis on Tuesday landed in Indonesia, kicking off the longest foreign trip of his tenure so far, due to take him to four countries in South-East Asia and Oceania over the next 12 days.
The 87-year-old head of the Catholic Church arrived in Jakarta more than 13 hours after setting off from Rome on a special flight operated by Italian airline ITA Airways.
With more than 240 million Muslims, Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country in the world.
Further stops will be Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
The pope’s 45th trip abroad will focus in particular on peaceful coexistence between the different religions. Of the four countries he is set to visit, only in East Timor the majority of the population identify as Catholic.
Given the age and state of health of Francis, who now often uses a wheelchair, the breaks between his foreign journeys have become longer. The pontiff’s last major trip abroad was a year ago, when he visited Mongolia.
The pope, who has been in office for 11 years, will cover in total more than 30,000 kilometres by plane on this tour. He is scheduled to return to Rome on September 13.
A visit to Luxembourg and Belgium is on the programme for his next trip abroad later in this month.
David Turner is a globe-trotting journalist who brings a global perspective to our readers. With a commitment to shedding light on international events, he explores complex geopolitical issues, offering a nuanced view of the world’s most pressing challenges.
