Hundreds of Young People Cheer for Pope Francis in East Timor:-
Program Francisco Papa Francisco . Hundreds of young people cheering for Pope Francis in East Timor. It was one of his last stops in the small Catholic nation before heading to Singapore for his fourth and final country in his marathon Apostolic journey. It has been a busy week for the Holy Father as he completes a 12 day journey in Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Highlighting the Peripheries and Promoting Peace:-
The longest of his pontificate. As is custom during his papal travels, Pope Francis made an effort to highlight Catholics on the peripheries with visits to some of the poorest and most remote parts of the region. Traditional drummers and dancers welcomed Pope Francis to Papua New Guinea last Friday. Peace was at the center of his message to the nation, ripe with natural resources and diversity but torn apart by tribal conflict during a youth festival.
Pope Francis told thousands of young people about the universal language of love and how it can bridge the gap in a land where more than 800 dialects are spoken, one of the highlights of his visit a trip to the remote coastal village of Vanimo, where he brought food and supplies for residents there. Pope Francis encouraged local Catholics to be missionaries in all that they do.
Half of East Timor Joins for Papal Mass:-
A sight to behold in East Timor, where throngs of faithful joined Pope Francis for an open air mass. An estimated 600,000 people attended. That’s almost half the small nation’s entire population. His other stops in the country included visits with clergy, young people and local authorities. He also visited a home for children with disabilities, where he spoke to them and their caretakers.
One on one. On Wednesday, Pope Francis arrived in his final stop, Singapore. His visit included meetings with the president, prime minister and civil authorities. On Thursday night, he celebrated mass in the National Stadium with tens of thousands in attendance. The economic disparity between the gleaming modern Singapore and his other stops was obvious.
Pope’s Call for Dignity in Singapore:-
The Pope praised Singapore for providing public housing , quality education and health care to its people. But he urged leaders to look out for the poor and called for dignified conditions for its migrant workers, who have helped to build the gleaming skyscrapers of one of the world’s richest countries. Our EWTN news colleague Courtney Morris joins us from Singapore, where Pope Francis wrapped up his Southeast Asia travels.
Courtney is a Rome correspondent for Catholic News Agency. Courtney, great to see you. There’s a lot to catch up on from your whirlwind week with Pope Francis. There are stunning images from when our Holy Father arrived in Papua New Guinea of indigenous tribes, welcoming him. Can you tell us more ?
Cultural Diversity and Faith in Papua New Guinea:-
There was a great meeting of some of Papua New Guinea’s 300 indigenous tribes in the capital city of Port Moresby.Many of the Catholics I spoke with traveled for hours to come to see Pope Francis , some from some of the most remote parts of the country, including the country’s tropical rainforests and outlying islands. Papua New Guinea is a country that is renowned for its cultural, linguistic and bio diversity, and it’s home to more than 800 languages.
But amid all of this diversity, Papua New Guinea is overwhelmingly Christian. 90% of the population in the country calls itself Christian. So you could really feel that enthusiasm with the Pope’s visit . >> Absolutely. And, Courtney, the theme of Pope Francis’s pontificate has been to go to the peripheries .
And he did just that in Papua New Guinea. Where did Pope Francis go?
Mission to the Peripheries in Papua New Guinea:-
Pope Francis went to the remote coastal city of Vanimo , and it’s a place that can only be. You can only get there from boat or airplane. Pope Francis traveled there with the help of the Royal Australian Air Force, who carried the Pope in a C-130 plane, along with toys , medicine and humanitarian aid for the people there.
Once the Pope arrived, he was welcomed by 20,000 people in one of the most remote parts of the country. Incredible. And in East Timor , nearly half of the country’s population showed up for the papal mass, and an estimated 600,000 people. You were there, Courtney. What was that like? The papal mass in East Timor was a spectacle to behold.
The Spectacle of Papal Mass in East Timor:-
The field was just a sea of yellow and white Vatican themed umbrellas, which people use for protection from the hot tropical sun as they waited for hours for the Pope to arrive. I spoke with one family who told me that they arrived at the field at 4 a.m. for the papal mass that was scheduled to arrive at 4 p.m. Thankfully they were in the front of the crowd.
It’s so beautiful to see the faith so alive. And Courtney. About 97% of East Timor is Catholic. What was our Holy Father’s message to the people of East Timor ? That’s right. In nearly every one of Pope Francis’s speeches in East Timor, he praised the youthfulness of the country , East Timor is a country with one of the highest birth rates in the world .
Pope Praises East Timor’s Youth and Families:-
After it achieved its independence in 2002, the birth rate was an average of seven births per woman. And this is something that Pope Francis commended at the end of his, massive mass in East Timor. Pope Francis told the crowd that the best thing about Timor are the is the smiles of its children.That’s incredible.
Final Leg of the Journey: Singapore:-
And Pope Francis concluded, this ambitious journey in Singapore , where you are right now.
Tell us about the Singapore leg of the trip, Courtney. Yes. So for this final leg of the trip, Pope Francis flew from East Timor, which is one of the poorest countries in the region, to Singapore, which is an economic powerhouse and really an Asian financial hub. In fact, the GDP per capita here is higher than in the United States, and there really was kind of this jarring disparity when we landed from the country we came from to the country where we arrived.
And I think that Pope Francis picked up on this, too, because in his first speech here in Singapore , Pope Francis praised the country’s efficient health care system and entrepreneurial spirit. But he also underlined again and again the importance of the dignity of the poor.
And he also called on all Singaporeans to protect the dignity of the many migrant workers who help support this economy.Here in Singapore .Courtney, you know, at the start of this trip, many commented on Pope Francis’s age and his health . How did our Holy Father ultimately hold up throughout this trip? Could you see moments of frail health at all throughout the week ?That is something that I was watching for throughout the trip, because it was the most ambitious and longest of his life.
Pope Francis’s Resilience Despite Age and Health:-
But let me tell you , the 87 year old Pope did not miss a beat. I mean, he gave every single one of his speeches, made every single one of his public appearances without any assistance reading the speeches, which is something, he hasn’t always been able to do, even in Rome, when he’s had some of his bouts of difficult health earlier this year, when I think about the, the length of this staggering journey, I think back to Pope Francis’s very first stadium mass, which happened on the feast of Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
A Message of Joy Across the Islands:-
Mother Teresa. And in that mass, Pope Francis quoted this beautiful quote from Mother Teresa. He said, he said, if you have nothing left to give, give that nothing. And I imagine that that’s been something that Pope Francis has carried with him through this long and difficult. But also beautiful journey here in Southeast Asia.
Conclusion: Pope Francis’s Legacy of Love and Service:-
Wow, that’s so powerful. You know, Courtney, just in our last moment together, you’ve been with Pope Francis, with every step of this trip, what will you remember? What will you take away from this pontifical journey ?One line that also comes to mind that Pope Francis said is let the islands rejoice, and that we’ve been visiting four island nations here , here in Asia.
And there’s been so much joy, I think just the joy and the faith and the enthusiasm of the people that I’ve encountered here is something that will stay in my heart forever. Well, and you bring that joy to us. Thank you for your incredible reporting and I hope you have a safe flight back to Rome as well. Courtney Myers, thank you.