Unforgettable journey of missionary Pope to the ends of the Earth

By Andrea Tornielli

At the end of Pope Francis' longest Apostolic Journey, which took him to Asia and Oceania, there are several images destined to remain in the mind and heart.

The first is that of the "tunnel of fraternity" that the Pope blessed alongside the Grand Imam of Jakarta. At a time when tunnels are associated with images of war, terrorism, violence, and death, this underground walkway connecting Indonesia's largest mosque to the Catholic cathedral is a sign and a seed of hope. The gestures of friendship and affection exchanged by the Bishop of Rome and the Grand Imam touched many in the world’s most-populous Muslim country.

The second image is that of Pope Francis boarding the Australian Air Force C-130 to travel to Vanimo, in the northwest of Papua New Guinea, to visit three Argentine missionaries and their people, bringing with him a ton of aid and gifts.

The Pope, who as a young man had dreamed of becoming a missionary to Japan, had long wanted to make this visit to the most remote periphery of the world, where he was embraced by men and women in their colorful traditional attire. Being a missionary means, first of all, sharing the lives, the many problems, and the hopes of these people living in precarious conditions, immersed in exuberant nature. It means witnessing to the face of a God who is tenderness and compassion.

The third image is that of President José Manuel Ramos-Horta, who, at the conclusion of the official speeches at the presidential palace in Dili, Timor-Leste, bent down to help the Pope adjust his feet on the wheelchair pedals. In the most Catholic country in the world, faith is a strongly defining element, and the role of the Church was decisive in the process that led to independence from Indonesia.

The fourth image is the moving embrace of the Pope with the children with disabilities who are cared for by the sisters of the Irmãs Alma school. He exchanged gestures, looks, and few words that were deeply evangelical, to remind us that these children, who rely on others for everything, by allowing themselves to be cared for, teach us to allow ourselves to be cared for by God. The question of why children suffer is a blade that cuts deep, a sore that does not heal. Pope Francis' response was closeness and a fatherly embrace.

The fifth image is that of the people of Timor-Leste, who waited for hours under the scorching sun for the Pope on the Taci Tolu plain. More than 600,000 people were present, practically one out of every two Timorese. Pope Francis was moved by this reception and warmth in a country that, after hard-won independence from Indonesia, is slowly building its future. Sixty-five percent of the population is under 30 years old, and the roads traveled by the popemobile were overflowing with young men and women with their very small children. This experience was a sign of hope for the Church, hope for the world.

The sixth image is that of Singapore’s skyline, the island-state with its towering, ultra-modern skyscrapers. This is a developed and wealthy country. It’s impossible not to think of the contrast with the dusty streets of Dili, which the Pope had left just a few hours earlier. Even here, where wealth is evident on every corner, where life is organized and transportation is incredibly fast, Pope Francis embraced everyone and pointed to the path of love, harmony, and fraternity.

Finally, the last image is that of the Pope himself. Some had doubted whether he could withstand the strain of such a long journey, in countries with tropical climates.

On the contrary, it was an upward journey. Instead of tiring day by day, covering kilometers, transfers, and flights, he gained energy. He met the young people of various countries, abandoning his written texts and exchanging in dialogue with his interlocutors, refreshing his spirit and body. He became young among the young, despite his approaching 88th birthday, which he will celebrate on the eve of the 2025 Jubilee.