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Pilgrimage Around the World on the Way to Jubilee 2025Top: Oceania (Scott 1782, 2021) Bottom: Asia (Scott 1799, 2022) Vatican City has released the schedule for Pope Francis’s trip to the Far East this coming September. The trip will cover more than 20,000 miles over the course of 12 days as the pope visits four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania. This will be the first foreign trip for the pontiff in 2024, who cancelled an earlier trip to Dubai due to ill health. 
Travels of Pope John Paul II1989: Indonesia (Scott C91, 1990) Pope Francis will leave Rome on the evening of September 2 and arrive in Jakarta, Indonesia on the morning of September 3. This is the second trip to Indonesia by a pope, following the trip to this predominantly-Muslim country by Pope Paul II in 1989. During his three-day visit, the pope will meet with political and religious leaders, participate in an interreligious meeting at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta (the ninth-largest mosque in the world), and deliver the homily at a Mass at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium. 
Travels of Pope John Paul II1984: Papua New Guinea (Scott C79, 1986) Upon leaving Indonesia, the pontiff will travel to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea. This again is the second visit of a pope to the region, as Pope John Paul II came to Papua New Guinea in 1984. He will visit local ministries and meet with Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape before presiding over Sunday Mass in Port Moresby’s Sir John Guise Stadium. He will also fly to the city of Vanimo in the northwest region of the country before returning to Port Moresby for his departure. Timor-Leste, or East Timor, was part of Indonesia prior to gaining its independence in 2002. It was visited by Pope John Paul II in 1989 during his trip to Indonesia. The small country has around 1.3 million inhabitants, of which more than 97% are Catholic. In the capital city of Dili, the pope is scheduled to visit children with disabilities, meet with local clergy and religious in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. He will also give a speech at the Presidential Palace and preside over Mass in the Esplanade of Taci Tolu during his stay. 
Travels of Pope John Paul II1986: Singapore (Scott 802, 1987) The pope’s final stop is Singapore, the country once visited by Pope John Paul II in 1986. Following his arrival, on September 12 he will meet with the country’s president and Prime Minister and preside over Mass in Singapore’s SportsHub National Stadium. On his last day in Asia, the pope will attend an interreligious meeting with young people in Singapore’s Catholic Junior College and visit with a group of elderly people. The pope will depart Asia and the country of Singapore around noon and arrive back in Rome around 6:30 pm on September 13. Pope Francis has a second foreign trip scheduled in late September, a four-day visit to Belgium and Luxembourg. REFERENCES: |
