32,000 kms in 12 days: Pope Francis on longest and farthest trip in Asia-Pacific

Sept. 3, 2024, 4:12 a.m.

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Pope Francis, 87, was scheduled to arrive in Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim nation, on Tuesday for a visit focused on interfaith connections. This marks the beginning of a demanding four-nation tour, which will be the longest of his papacy.

The pontiff departed Rome on Monday afternoon and was scheduled to arrive in Jakarta at 11:30 am (around 0430 GMT), marking the first leg of a 12-day journey that will also include stops in Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.

Covering some 32,000 kilometres (almost 20,000 miles), the tour – the longest and farthest of his 11 years leading the worldwide Catholic Church – will test Francis’ increasingly fragile health.

However, in recent weeks, the Pope has appeared to be in good health and seems invigorated when surrounded by his followers.

Advertisement Catholics currently represent fewer than three percent of the population of Indonesia – some eight million people, compared to the 87 percent, or 242 million, who are Muslim.

However, they are one of six officially recognized religions or denominations in the secular nation, which also include Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.

On Thursday, Pope Francis will convene with representatives from all six at the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia and a symbol of interfaith harmony.

It is linked via a “tunnel of friendship” to the cathedral across the road, where Christians in recent days have been taking selfies with a life-sized cutout of the pope.

At the mosque, Pope Francis will sign a joint statement with the grand imam, Nasaruddin Umar.

The statement will focus on “dehumanisation”, notably the spread of violence and conflict, particularly to women and children, as well as environmental degradation, according to the Indonesian bishops’ conference.

Francis has repeatedly urged the world to do more to combat climate change and mitigate its effects – including rising sea levels, which threaten the heavily polluted megalopolis of Jakarta.

Security is tight for the three-day visit, with the military, police and members of the president’s own detail among more than 4,000 law enforcement officers deployed.

A new billboard advert declaring “Welcome Pope Francis” has been put up in central Jakarta, while the government has ordered a special stamp in his honour.

Advertisement The country’s religious affairs ministry has hailed the visit as a symbol of Indonesia’s religious diversity.

“It is very important in conveying a message and showing the world that religious harmony in Indonesia is guaranteed and has been implemented,” ministry spokesman Sunanto, who goes by one name, said Monday, according to state news agency Antara.

This is the third papal visit to Indonesia, an archipelago comprising 17,500 islands, following the visits of Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1989.

Discrimination and dialogue

The independent Jakarta Post newspaper hailed the visit in an editorial Monday as “highly significant for the advancement of interreligious relations” both in Indonesia and abroad.

Advertisement Despite Indonesia’s official recognition of different faiths, there are concerns about growing discrimination, including against Christians, with local Catholics hoping the pope will speak out.

The Jakarta-based Journalists’ Union for Diversity (SEJUK) told AFP it had recorded eight violations of religious freedom in August alone, including the banning of church construction, attacks on temples and assaults.

Michel Chambon, a theologian and anthropologist at the National University of Singapore, believes that the Pope's visit will reinforce a broader message he has already conveyed in other predominantly Muslim nations, including Iraq, Bahrain, Turkey, and Morocco.

The visit “is not really aimed at Catholics in Indonesia” but is intended to highlight the global importance of Islamic-Christian dialogue, he told AFP.

Advertisement “There are divisions even within the Catholic Church. Some leaders think that good interreligious dialogue is all well and good, but that it will not go further than peaceful coexistence,” he added.

Fragile health

Francis will meet with outgoing President Joko Widodo during his visit and hold meetings with young people, diplomats, and local clergy.

He will also lead a mass in an 80,000-seat stadium, one of several such events during the tour, marking the 45th overseas trip of his papacy.

Originally scheduled for 2020 but postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the visit will take place just three months before the Pope's 88th birthday.

The Argentine pontiff now routinely relies on a wheelchair for mobility. He underwent hernia surgery last year and has experienced persistent respiratory problems.

Advertisement He has not traveled abroad since a visit to Marseille in France in September 2023. He cancelled a scheduled address at the United Nations climate talks in Dubai two months later.

He will be accompanied on his trip to Indonesia by his personal doctor and two nurses, a standard practice according to Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni, who added that no additional safety measures were being implemented.