In Asia, the Pope continues his longest apostolic journey

At 87, Francis is on the longest apostolic journey ever made by a pope. On the 10th day of his Asian tour, the head of the Catholic Church visited three countries: Indonesia, with its 285 million inhabitants, the vast majority of whom are Muslim, and two states with Christian populations, located north of the Australian coast, on islands part of which are Indonesian: Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, or West Timor.

Strengthening the faith of those he visits is one of the reasons the pope travels, and his visit arouses enthusiasm among Catholics wherever he goes. In Jakarta, Indonesia, after signing a joint declaration with the imam of Asia’s largest mosque, entitled “Promoting Religious Harmony for the Good of Humanity,” Francis celebrated Mass in a stadium before 60,000 faithful while another 25,000 watched in front of giant screens.

Joy and fervor

In Papua New Guinea, 35,000 Papuans came from all over the mountainous main island and the archipelago to attend the Pope’s Mass. “I feel so blessed (to see him), it means that God sees us. He has not forgotten us,” a woman confided to La Croix’s special correspondent. In Timor-Leste (1.3 million inhabitants, 97% of whom are Catholic), hundreds of thousands of people filled the esplanade where the Pope celebrated Mass. These crowds are significant in their awareness of the Pope’s role for Catholics: the successor bishop of Peter in Rome embodies for them the mission that Christ gave to the fisherman of Galilee: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church” (Gospel according to Matthew, 16,18).

Photos and videos published in the press and social networks give an idea of ​​the physical ordeal that Francis is overcoming during this journey with multiple trips, meetings, speeches, in the humidity of the tropical climate. But they also reveal the joy of the pastor passionate about meeting others and proclaiming the Gospel. If he strengthens the faith of the faithful with his words and encouragement, Jorge Bergoglio receives from them the energy to overcome fatigue.

A committed pastor

A pastor who is well-informed about local political, religious and economic situations, Francis carefully calibrates his speeches according to the audiences he addresses. In Indonesia, before the authorities, he strongly encouraged interreligious dialogue, reserving one of his signature words for a small audience. “The devil enters through the pockets,” he says to bishops, priests and consecrated persons. His remark, which triggers hilarity from the audience, takes on a precise meaning in this country gangrened by corruption.

In Christian countries, the Jesuit pope is more direct with the authorities. In Papua New Guinea, where 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to a World Bank report in 2020, he emphasizes that the country’s rich mineral, forest and gas resources “are intended by God for the entire community.” In this archipelago where 3,000 people accused of witchcraft were reportedly killed between 2000 and 2020, the majority of them women, the Argentine pope asks for recognition that the latter “are at the forefront of human and personal development.”

In Timor-Leste, which has won its independence from Indonesia since 2002, after bloody decades for the people, Francis praises the choice of reconciliation with the former colonizer, in the name of the Gospel. Then highlights the problems: emigration, poverty, alcoholism, and draws the attention of the leaders to the social doctrine of the Church, as a benchmark for developing fraternity. In this young nation, a word from the Pope was expected on sexual violence committed by priests. Because one of them, Bishop Carlos Belo, hero of independence and Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1996, was accused of sexual assault on minors in 2022. The Vatican had sanctioned the man exiled in Portugal since 2019, still greatly admired in his country. Francis devoted a single sentence to this painful problem that concerns other priests in Asia, including missionaries: “Let us not forget the many children and adolescents whose dignity has been flouted – this phenomenon appears all over the world -: we are all called to act responsibly to prevent any type of abuse and guarantee a peaceful growth for our young people,” he said to the country’s authorities.

This Wednesday, September 11, the head of the Vatican State has already reached the final stage of his Asian pilgrimage, another city-state, the very prosperous Singapore, where 3 out of 4 inhabitants are Chinese, and 1 in 5 Christian.