Francis in Asia and Oceania

Catholic women carry wooden crosses during a Palm Sunday procession in Dili, East Timor, April 5, 2009. Pope Francis will visit East Timor as part of a four-county trip Sept. 2-13, marking the first time a pope has visited the country since it gained independence from Indonesia in 2002. (CNS/Reuters/Lirio Da Fonseca)

The nearly two-week Sept. 2-13 trip will take Pope Francis to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. It will mark his sixth visit to Asia, allowing him to make good on a promised visit that was tentatively scheduled for 2020 but delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

A man walks in the shade at Istiqlal mosque as the spires of the Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral are seen in the background, in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 9. (AP/Tatan Syuflana)
Vatican News

Pope will visit Jakarta's Istiqlal mosque at start of interfaith Asian trip

By Edna Tarigan, Andi Jatmiko, Associated Press

Pope Francis will hold an interfaith meeting with representatives of Indonesia's six officially recognized religions as the populous Southeast Asian nation faces growing challenges to its tolerant image.

Vatican News

2-week Asia trip will test pope's health, spotlight his signature themes

By Christopher White

Pope Francis will visit four countries in Asia and Oceania Sept. 2-13 – his longest trip as pope. It could cement his own legacy on his priorities inside the church and attract the attention of the wider world.

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