Argentina At 87 to the periphery - Pope before his longest trip abroad

On the other side of the world, in the small community of Vánimo on the Pacific island of Papua New Guinea, a stage is being built on the football pitch. In the evening, when the day's work is done, they pray the rosary on the village lawn - by no means a matter of course for a country where Christianity only arrived a few decades ago. But next week, the highest visitor is expected: Pope Francis.

It doesn't get much further than that. It is around 15,000 kilometers from Rome to Vánimo, which belonged to the German colony of German New Guinea more than a century ago. For Francis, the football pitch is the furthest point in the longest foreign trip of his term of office to date.

Twelve-day trip with hardships

The head of around 1.4 billion Catholics will be on the road for twelve days: a total of well over 30,000 kilometers by plane. In addition to Papua New Guinea, he will be traveling to Indonesia, East Timor and Singapore. Even for the much younger members of the delegation of more than a hundred people, this is a strenuous journey. For an 87-year-old with health problems, it can be an ordeal.

Nevertheless, Francis did not allow himself to be dissuaded, even by well-meaning advice. The pontiff is thus carrying out what he promised at the beginning of his pontificate: to go to the periphery, to the fringes - both in terms of society and geography. As a reminder: his very first trip took him to the refugee island of Lampedusa in the Mediterranean.

Eleven and a half years have passed since then. The Argentinian has now reached trip number 45 abroad - on a par with John Paul II, who was also known as the "father in a hurry" due to his many flights. However, unlike the Pole, Francis preferred to visit countries that are not "classic" destinations for a Catholic leader.

Belgium and Luxembourg remain for German believers

Francis has never been to Germany as Pope - which will probably remain the case. After all, he is coming to Belgium and Luxembourg at the end of September. Many faithful from Germany are also expected to attend the masses. But before that: South East Asia and Oceania. The trip was actually supposed to take place during the coronavirus period.

The program is the usual one: Talks with political and religious leaders of the respective countries, meetings with Catholic clergy and ordinary believers, large masses. However, in consideration of the Pope's age and health, there are longer breaks each day. He also has round-the-clock medical assistance.

Francis has often been in a wheelchair for some time due to a knee condition. Last year, he had to undergo open abdominal surgery. He was then repeatedly plagued by bronchitis. He had to cancel the first visit by a pope to a world climate summit in Dubai in December. His last trip abroad - to Mongolia - was more than a year ago. He has only traveled to Italy, by helicopter.

A predecessor collapsed in the sweltering heat

Knowledgeable people in the Vatican are reminded of Pope Paul VI's last trip abroad, which also took him to Oceania and South East Asia in 1970. The sultry climate was too much for the Italian - 73 at the time. He collapsed. He never left Italy again until his death in 1978. It is now emphasized all the more that Francis was not interested in proving his physical fitness, but in his missionary obligations.

In fact, the tour is not only a journey of exertion, but also of contrasts. Indonesia is home to 241 million Muslims - more than anywhere else in the world. East Timor is one of only two countries in South East Asia with a Catholic majority (after the Philippines). The city state of Singapore is considered by many to be a model of success in the region, while Papua New Guinea is a country of great poverty with few prospects.

Big goal: home country Argentina

If everything goes as planned, Francis will be back in the Vatican on September 13. As far as travel is concerned, he will then have one major destination: his home country of Argentina, where he has never been since his election as Pope. He has already received an official invitation from President Javier Milei, even though he used to call him a communist, a fool and a son of a bitch. The two even embraced at a meeting in the Vatican. What is still missing: the date.

SDA