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, several images are destined to remain in minds and hearts.

The first is 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 passage 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 people in the most populous Muslim country in the world.

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

The Pope, who as a young man dreamed of becoming a missionary in Japan, had long wanted to make this visit to the most remote periphery of the world, where he was welcomed by men and women in colorful traditional costumes. Being a missionary means above all sharing the life, the many problems and the hopes of these people who live in precarious conditions, immersed in an exuberant nature. It means bearing witness 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 end of the official speeches at the presidential palace in Dili, East Timor, leaned over to help the Pope adjust his feet on the pedals of the wheelchair. In the most Catholic country in the world, faith is a determining factor and the role of the Church was decisive in the process that led to Indonesia’s independence.

The fourth image is the Pope’s moving embrace with the disabled children cared for by the sisters of the Irmãs Alma school. He exchanged gestures, glances and some deeply evangelical words, to remind us that these children, who depend on others for everything, by letting themselves be cared for, teach us to let ourselves be cared for by God. The question of why children suffer is a blade that cuts deeply, a wound that does not heal. Pope Francis’ response was closeness and a fatherly embrace.

The fifth image is that of the people of East Timor who waited for the Pope for hours under a scorching sun on the Taci Tolu plain. More than 600,000 people were present, almost one in two Timorese. Pope Francis was moved by this welcome and warmth in a country that, after gaining independence from Indonesia, is slowly building its future. 65% of the population is under 30 and the roads traveled by the Popemobile were full of young men and women with their very young children. This experience was a sign of hope for the Church, a hope for the world.

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

Finally, the last image is that of the Pope himself. Some doubted that he could bear the fatigue of such a long journey, in countries with a tropical climate.

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