Pope Arrives in Indonesia, Kicks off 4-Nation Asia Trip

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Facts

  • Pope Francis arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday for a three-day visit — the first stop of his four-nation tour of the Asia-Pacific — accompanied by his entourage and journalists. The 87-year-old pontiff will also visit Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore over the next 12 days.[1]
  • Indonesia's Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas received Pope Francis after the pontiff left the ITA Airways plane and entered the tarmac at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.[2][3]
  • According to the Vatican, the pope met with a group of orphans, refugees, migrants, homeless, and sick people at the Vatican residence in Jakarta. He is the third pope to visit Indonesia and the first since Pope John Paul II in 1989.[4][1]
  • On the first leg of his longest trip yet, Francis is expected to meet with Indonesian Pres. Joko Widodo, address government and civic officials, attend an interreligious meeting in the Istiqlal Mosque, and hold a Mass for the country's Catholics.[5][6]
  • While in Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country with six officially recognized religions, the pontiff will also visit the capital's Tunnel of Friendship — an underpass that links the Istiqlal Mosque and Jakarta's Catholic cathedral.[7]
  • Francis is traveling with his secretaries, a doctor, and two nurses. A Vatican spokesperson said no extra precautions were taken for this trip, which includes over 43 hours of air travel. The pope has had several hospitalizations, including an abdominal hernia surgery last year.[8][9]

Sources: [1]Guardian, [2]Reuters, [3]EFE Noticias, [4]NBC, [5]Vatican News, [6]National Catholic Reporter, [7]Al Jazeera, [8]New York Times and [9]Verity.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by CNA. The 12-day trip is an opportunity for the octogenarian leader of the world's Roman Catholics to highlight the global importance of inter-religious relationships and deepen dialogue between Christian and Muslim communities that continue to be tolerant and respectful. This historic visit will not only allow the pope to highlight key themes of his pontificate — including climate change and protection of the environment, but also cultivate peace, ensure prosperity, and provoke a jolt of change.
  • Narrative B, as provided by CNN and New York Times. Pope Francis' physical health has undoubtedly declined with age. However, he has demonstrated that he remains mentally fit to lead the Catholic Church and has no intention of slowing down his outreach to faraway Catholics. His long and grueling 12-day trip now — that many in the Vatican seemed skeptical of — underlines his liveliness and sends a message to those, including at senior levels in the church, who have been claiming that Pope Francis is running out of steam.

Predictions