VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis will visit Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore in September, the Vatican announced Friday, confirming the longest trip of Francis’ papacy that is sure to test his health, stamina and mobility.
The Vatican confirmed the Sept. 2-13 visit and said the 87-year-old pope would visit Jakarta, Indonesia; Port Moresby and Vanimo, Papua New Guinea; Dili, East Timor; and Singapore. Further details will be announced later.
Francis’ health is a source of increasing concern and speculation, even as the pope continues to maintain a strict schedule of meetings at the Vatican and even trips to local parishes.
Francis, who had part of a lung removed as a young man, had to cancel a planned visit to Dubai late last year after falling ill with severe bronchitis. He suffered from breathing problems throughout the winter and had to limit his participation in Holy Week events to save energy for Easter.
Francis has also been in a wheelchair for almost two years due to knee ligament damage and says traveling has become increasingly difficult.
And yet, at 11 days, the trip would be the longest of Francis’ papacy, surpassing by several days some of his long trips to America at the start of his 11-year papacy. It will bring the Argentine Jesuit to the world’s most populous Muslim country, Indonesia, as well as the former Portuguese colony of East Timor, where the Catholic Church wields enormous influence.
There’s also the possibility that another leg will be added to the trip later: This week, Vatican Foreign Minister Archbishop Paul Gallagher was in Vietnam discussing a papal visit, Vatican News reported, without giving details.
In a statement announcing the visit, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry welcomed the visit and recalled that it was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Pope Francis’ visit to Indonesia is of great importance for the Indonesian people, not only for Catholics but for all religious communities. The visit also aims to reinforce the message of tolerance, unity and world peace,” the statement said.
According to a 2022 report by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Indonesia is home to about 242 million Muslims and 29 million Christians – including 8.5 million Catholics.
East Timor, which today has a population of about 1.2 million people, is the only predominantly Christian state in Southeast Asia, with the exception of the Philippines. According to the 2015 census, 97.6% of East Timor’s population is Catholic.
The visit to East Timor is likely to draw renewed attention to the clergy sex abuse scandal involving the revered independence hero and Nobel Peace Prize winner. The Vatican confirmed in 2022 that it had imposed sanctions on Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo after he was accused of sexually abusing boys there in the 1990s. Belo is currently believed to be living in Portugal.
Francis will be the first pope to visit Papua New Guinea since St. John Paul II’s trip in 1984. The country, located in a strategic part of the South Pacific, has struggled with tribal violence and unrest.
John Paul also visited Singapore in 1986. The country is now home to 395,000 Catholics and Francis named his archbishop of Singapore as its first cardinal in 2022.
In a statement welcoming the visit, Cardinal William Goh said it will “bring new zeal to all Catholics in Singapore and unite them in faith and mission, especially in these most difficult times.”
The Vatican has only one other papal trip planned this year – to Belgium to celebrate the anniversary of the country’s Catholic university. Francis has also said he wants to return to his native Argentina, but no plans or dates have been announced.
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Karmini contributed from Jakarta, Indonesia.