The wait for the apostolic journey that Pope Francis will make there, officially announced yesterday for next September, has already started between South-East Asia and Oceania. The demanding tour - lasting 12 days, the longest of the pontificate - long desired by the Pontiff, will therefore take place, barring last-minute unforeseen events. And perhaps averting new problems linked to the health of the 87-year-old Bergoglio. After the first rumors leaked in January by the government of Papua New Guinea and the announcement made in recent days by the bishops of Indonesia, Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni confirmed the appointment yesterday, indicating all the stages in detail, even if the definitive program will arrive later with an official declaration. Between 2 and 13 September the Pope will therefore be in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore: in particular Francis will visit Jakarta from 3 to 6 September, Port Moresby and Vanimo from 6 to 9 September, Dili from 9 to 11 September, and Singapore from 11th to 13th September.
Pope Francis thus confirms his great attention to Asia and local Catholicism, but not only. Three of the countries he will reach in September - Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor - he was already due to visit in 2020, but was then forced to cancel the trip due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Among other things, it is a new journey with an eye on China. In fact, "now Singapore is also added to the previous programme, a great crossroads of South-East Asia and - as Mongolia was last year - another privileged place to speak to the Chinese people and culture, with three quarters of its ethnic population Chinese", underlines AsiaNews. Vietnam, however, remains outside and in recent months it had been hoped could be added, given the progress made in relations between Hanoi and the Holy See and the great desire of Vietnamese Catholics to welcome the Pontiff's visit.