The Pope's Asia-Pacific tour is his most ambitious trip to date.
ROME/JAKARTA – Without announcement or fanfare, I looked up from my seat and there he was, in his trademark white cassock.
To the surprise and delight of those onboard, the 87-year-old pontiff then walked down the aisle to greet everyone individually. Many had expected to see him in a wheelchair for most of the trip, due to well-documented issues with his knee. As for me, a non-Catholic, pointers of decorum flashed in my mind as I readied to make my first impression. No need for curtsies, bowing, kneeling or kissing of the papal ring, we were told.
But the words came out in a stutter, partly due to the sheer number of broadcast-grade cameras aimed in my direction. This time, Pope Francis will spend nine times that length of time, or some 45 hours, on this island Republic more than 10,000 kilometres from Vatican City. Former Jesuit scholastic Don Basil Kannangara said Pope Francis has pushed the boundaries of interfaith dialogue by questioning what such dialogue does to improve humanity and heal the world.
The Pope published these two encyclicals – the pontiff’s highest form of communication – in 2015 and 2020 respectively.
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