Pope Francis completes 12-day visit to Southeast Asia, ending longest tour of his papacy

Pope Francis wrapped up a 12-day tour across the Southeast Asia region on Thursday, marking the longest international trip of his papacy.

Despite ongoing health issues — including knee problems, bouts with the flu, two rounds of intestinal surgery and having only one full lung — the 87-year-old pontiff now has the longest trip of his papacy under his belt.

His trip, which included Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore, saw the pontiff address various regional and global concerns, in keeping with expectations.

For each country, Francis had pointed political discussions at the ready. His many talks and homilies centered especially on social justice and ethical responsibility. Diversity, too, was high on the list of topics, as interfaith dialogue has been a central theme of his papacy for the last 11 years.

The tour kicked off in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Francis was received with a traditional welcome, including an honor guard and greetings from Indonesian officials. In his speech the following day, he emphasized the need for interfaith dialogue and the protection of human rights.

“In order to foster a peaceful and fruitful harmony that ensures peace and unites efforts to remove the imbalances and suffering that still persist in some areas of the country, the Church desires to increase interreligious dialogue,” he said.

While there, alongside Muslim leader Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar, Pope Francis signed the Istiqlal Joint Declaration 2024 at Southeast Asia’s largest mosque — making him the first pope to ever enter the mosque’s grounds.

The document condemned religious-based violence and promoting human dignity and environmental stewardship, declaring, “Our religious beliefs and rituals have a particular capacity to speak to the human heart and thus foster a deeper respect for human dignity.”

This official interfaith expression is one of many Pope Francis has made alongside other faith leaders over the years, an approach which has angered some conservative Catholics, who argue that the pope is far too ecumenical in his stance toward other faiths.

But Mark Tooley, president of the Institute of Religion and Democracy, told The Washington Times that Francis’ job as leader of the Catholic Church is to promote good relations between Catholics and Muslims within these Muslim countries, where safety for Christians cannot always be taken for granted.

“It will be helpful, and it’s necessary with Christians, and specifically for his purposes,” Mr. Tooley said. “Catholics are a minority in these majority Muslim countries, and he wants there to be good relations and some level of understanding and an ongoing search for common ground between Christianity and Islam. So it’s politically smart and necessary and self protective and, on top of that, maybe even helpful in terms of finding commonality.”

Francis then traveled to Papua New Guinea, where, according to the latest Vatican statistics, Catholics make up about 30% of Papua New Guinea’s population, totaling 2.5 million people.

A hefty portion of them attended the Mass he celebrated, too — approximately 35,000 Catholics from Papua New Guinea and across Oceania came together, their communion soundtracked by the hymns from a 100-voice Port Moresby Catholic choir.

His visit featured traditional ceremonies from Indigenous tribes and focused on addressing the nation’s economic and social issues.

“Your country, besides consisting of islands and languages, is also rich in natural resources. These goods are destined by God for the entire community,” he remarked.

Indeed, Papua New Guinea has struggled with the realities of tribal violence. Earlier this year, for instance, a violent tribal dispute in the nation’s highlands resulted in the deaths of at least 26 people.

The news cast a light on the country’s growing security issues and a broader instability in the South Pacific nation, which has seen heightened military focus from global powers like the United States and China.

Francis insisted that equitable resource management could help ease tensions. “It is my particular hope that tribal violence will come to an end, for it causes many victims, prevents people from living in peace, and hinders development,” he said.

His next visit, to East Timor, coincided with the 25th anniversary of the tiny nation’s independence from Indonesia.

The country of 1.3 million is one of the most overwhelmingly Catholic places in the world. Catholics make up 98% of the population, and East Timor President Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta declared his country as “the second most Catholic country, after Vatican City.”

Francis praised the eagerness of the country’s relatively youthful population, and, this time, he had education on the brain. In his speech to the massive crowd, he pointed to the importance of investing in education.

“You are a young people … about 65% of East Timor’s population is under the age of 30,” he said. “This statistic tells us that the first area for you to invest in is education, in the family, and in schools.”

Francis is the first pope to visit East Timor since the country gained its independence in 2002, and in return for the visit, he received an event that broke records.

His gathering, attended by approximately 600,000 Catholics — or roughly half of the island — is believed to represent the biggest turnout for a papal event in all of history, proportionally speaking.

This was no easy feat for the onlookers, either. The heat was intense, reaching 88 degrees Fahrenheit, with humidity levels above 50%.

Alfonso de Jesus, a man from the nearby city of Baucau, told The Associated Press that it was all worth it to simply catch a glimpse of Francis. “For us, the pope is a reflection of the Lord Jesus, as a shepherd who wants to see his sheep, so we come to him with all our hearts as our worship.”

The final stop was Singapore, one of the world’s wealthiest nations. Francis is only the second pope to ever visit the country, where the stage was set for his pointed economic remarks.

On Thursday, he made a plea for pay increases for migrant workers, calling on Singapore’s political leaders to ensure fair wages for the country’s more than 1 million low-paid foreign workers, highlighting labor rights in the global financial hub.

“We must ensure that our technological advancements do not overshadow our commitment to human dignity and fair labor practices,” he said.

About 300,000 low-wage migrant workers in Singapore face concerns about inadequate protection against exploitation and poor living conditions, though these are issues the government denies.

Francis also warned Singapore of becoming too attached to the robust wealth that has rendered it such a financial behemoth. The nation, he said, has “access to capital, technology and talent” — access that makes it responsible for caring about the welfare of neighboring nations.

He implored leaders and businesspeople to work together to advance the cause “of humanity and the common good of all peoples and all nations.”

But the pope warned Singapore against giving in to nationalistic tendencies, urging them to do good “in a way that does not exclude others or is restricted to national interests.”

Francis, too, voiced concerns about the encroachment of artificial intelligence, cautioning against its potential to isolate folks from one another and create fake realities in the minds of human beings.

“Technology developments risk isolating individuals and putting them into a false reality. AI should be used to bring people closer together and to promote understanding and solidarity within society,” he said.

Nevertheless, he praised Singapore for their advancements in reducing carbon emissions, noting that the country stands out among the crowd of first-world nations. “Your commitment to sustainable development and the preservation of creation is an example to follow,” the pope said.

Francis returns to Rome on Friday, having accomplished what he set out to do.

“It obviously helps the Christians to have [an] influential international figure operating at their behest,” Mr. Tooley told The Times. “Somebody who’s largely liked.”

• This article is based in part on wire service reports.