The Pope’s Asia-Pacific Visit, in Pictures

Asia Pacific|Inside nan Pope’s Visit Across Asia and Oceania

Pope Francis began an 11-day tour of 4 land nations crossed Southeast Asia and Oceania past week, an eager trek to faraway corners of nan Roman Catholic world.

His first extremity was Indonesia, a state made up of thousands of islands pinch nan largest Muslim organization successful nan world, arsenic good arsenic millions of group pursuing different religions. There, Pope Francis talked astir interfaith speech and coexistence, praising Indonesia arsenic nurturing harmony betwixt its different ethnicities, languages and religions, which he compared to nan country’s rich | ecological biodiversity.

Last Friday, he arrived successful Papua New Guinea, wherever thousands stood on nan roadworthy from nan airdrome to invited him. In nan resource-rich but mostly underdeveloped country, he urged authorities officials to beforehand sustainable and equitable improvement that benefits everyone. He besides called for an extremity to nan tribal unit that has plagued Papua New Guinea.

On Sunday, Francis flew to nan distant municipality of Vanimo, connected nan country’s Pacific coast, wherever he was welcomed by astir 20,000 worshipers, immoderate of whom had walked for days from agrarian villages to get a glimpse of him. Sitting connected a stage, nan pope wore accepted headgear he’d been presented with, an elaborate creation of fur and feathers. Then he stood to bless nan immense crowd, arsenic good arsenic nan rosaries and integrative bottles of h2o they had brought along.

On Monday, nan pope landed successful East Timor, a predominantly Catholic federation of 1.3 million, to cheers and fanfare from those gathered to meet him. He commended nan country’s advancement passim nan 2 decades since it emerged from a bloody conflict for independency from Indonesian rule. The pope near for Singapore connected Wednesday, nan past extremity connected his trip.

Singapore

Waiting for nan presence of Pope Francis connected Thursday.