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Pope Francis leaves Indonesia to resume Asia-Pacific tour in PNG
Pope Francis wraps up the first leg of his 12-day Asia-Pacific in Jakarta on Friday, departing for the next phase of his tour in Papua New Guinea, before proceeding to Timor-Leste and Singapore.
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Pope Francis (center) waves ahead of his departure from the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea on Sept. 6, 2024. (Antara/Muhammad Iqbal)
Pope Francis has wrapped up the first leg of his 12-day Asia-Pacific tour in Indonesia, leaving Jakarta for Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, on Friday morning.
The papal entourage was seen leaving the Vatican Embassy in Central Jakarta at around 9 a.m. Francis sat in the front seat, rolling down the window of the white multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) car that he had been using since landing in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Upon leaving the embassy compound, the papal convoy was halted by a crowd of worshippers waiting on the side of Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur, hoping to see the pope for one last time before he left the country.
Francis’ car stopped several times throughout its way to the airport, with the pope greeting and blessing people who swarmed his car.
The pope’s flight to Port Moresby was scheduled for 9:45 a.m., but the entourage arrived at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Papua at around 10 a.m.
Read also: Pope calls for interfaith dialogue to solve world crises
Pope Francis was welcomed by several political and religious officials at the airport, including Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and Ignasius Jonan, who heads the Bishop’s Conference of Indonesia (KWI) special committee for the papal visit.
Francis was still greeting officials, committee members and airport workers, before finally embarking the airplane, an Airbus A330-900 Neo operated by national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, at around 10:20 a.m. The plane took off from Soekarno-Hatta airport at 10:40 a.m.
Closing the Mass he hosted at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) main stadium in Jakarta on Thursday evening, the pontiff thanked the cardinal, the KWI, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and the Indonesian people for their prayers and welcome, before leaving the stadium for the Vatican Embassy mansion to rest.
The pope will touch down in Port Moresby on Friday evening local time, resuming his longest-ever overseas journey with an aim to reach Catholics in the most remote corners of the world and highlight a cause close to his heart: climate change.
Read also: Pope praises Istiqlal, 'tunnel of friendship' as symbols of interfaith harmony
The Pope’s three-day visit to Papua New Guinea will include time in Port Moresby where he will meet with authorities, civil society organizations and church leaders, participating in Sunday mass before heading to the remote town of Vanimo to meet with Catholic missionaries.
Papua New Guinea is a vast and sprawling country of mountains, jungle and rivers with some of the world’s last uncontacted tribes, and a population estimated at anything from 9 million to 17 million. The Vatican estimates there are around 2.5 million Catholics in the country.
After Papua New Guinea, Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Timor-Leste and Singapore before returning to Vatican. (kuk)
