The Holy See confirms that Pope Francis will travel to various countries in Asia and Oceania next September. From September 2 to 13, the Holy Father will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
Although the exact itinerary of the apostolic journey is not yet known, the Stampa Room has indicated the dates of the Pope's visit. Francis will be in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, from September 3 to 6. Indonesia. He will then spend three days, from 6 to 9, in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea, and Vanimo, capital of the province of Sandaun in the oceanic country. He will then travel to Dili, the central city of East Timor, where he will stay from September 9 to 11. Finally, the Pontiff will spend two days in Singapore.
Diverse population
Of the four countries the Holy Father will visit, only two have a majority Catholic population, Papua New Guinea and East Timor. Indonesia is Muslim-majority while in Singapore Buddhism is the most practiced religion.
The diversity of the trip is not only in geography or religious denominations, there is also a great economic difference between the countries that the Holy Father will visit. Indonesia is the most powerful economy on the entire Asian continent and Singapore has an important market that gives it the highest GDP per capita in the world. In contrast, almost 40 % of the population in East Timor lives below the poverty line and half of the inhabitants are illiterate.
Itinerary unspecified
Pope Francis arrives in all these territories at the invitation of the Heads of State and ecclesiastical authorities. However, the meetings he will have with them, as well as with organizations and citizens of the various countries, will be specified at a later date, as noted by Sala Stampa.
