Francis’s travels in Asia: words and gestures to remember
The 12 years of Francis’s pontificate were marked by 13 trips in Asia, from the first visit to South Korea to the long journey last September to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore. During this time, his message of peace and hope strengthened the ties between the Church and various Asian cultures.
Milan (AsiaNews) – For Pope Francis, Asia has been a pastoral priority, and a privileged destination for his apostolic journeys. The various trips have given rise to a “culture of encounter", a central theme to 12 years of his pontificate, a culture that does not exclude, but welcomes. The key elements of his pontificate were present in each visit, like the constant commitment to building peace, the importance attributed to hope and the focus on environment. His diplomacy and pastoral gestures towards Asia have made it possible to strengthen the Church's relations with the different cultures and religious traditions of the continent.
Leaving aside a separate chapter for his travels in the Middle East, we review here the trips to the different places in the continent.
SOUTH KOREA (13-18 August 2014)
This was the pontificate’s first trip to Asia for Asian Youth Day, during which Pope Francis led the rite of beatification of Paul Yun Ji-ChungHa and his 123 companions, martyrs of Korea. During his stay, he repeatedly lamented the wound caused by the division between the two Koreas, calling for peace, which “is not simply the absence of war, but ‘the work of justice’,” something that “demands that we not forget past injustices but overcome them through forgiveness”. In fact, “in Christ ‘there is no Greek or Jew’ (Gal 3:28),” he said, pleading for a move towards a culture of encounter in which the heart speaks to the heart.
SRI LANKA (12-15 January 2015)
During this visit, the pontiff presided over the canonisation of Joseph Vaz, the first Sri Lankan to become a saint. He mentioned the pain of the civil war and the need to heal this wound. Healing, he said, is not easy and “It can only be done by overcoming evil with good (cf. Rom 12:21). [. . .] The process of healing also needs to include the pursuit of truth, not for the sake of opening old wounds, but rather as a necessary means of promoting justice, healing and unity.”
PHILIPPINES (15-19 January 2015)
On that same trip, the pontiff went to predominantly Catholic Philippines. During the visit, he expressed his closeness to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda, one of the worst tropical storms ever recorded, causing 6,300 confirmed deaths. “To those of you who housed and fed people seeking safety [. . .], I thank you. [. . .] For whatever you did for the least of Christ’s brothers and sisters, you did for him (cf. Mt 25:41).” Highly symbolic was the image of the pope celebrating Holy Mass in Manila in the rain, in front of one of the most crowded sites ever for a papal event with millions of people.
MYANMAR (26-30 November 2017)
Pope Francis was welcomed in the country by then State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi, with whom he discussed peace and inclusion, centred on interfaith dialogue, with emphasis on the richness of differences. “For three times one of you used the word harmony. This is peace: it is harmony,” Francis said meeting with the country's religious leaders. “We [...] experience a worldwide trend towards uniformity, to make everything the same. This is killing humanity. We need to understand the richness of our differences. […] Nature in Myanmar has been very rich in differences. We must not be afraid of differences.”
BANGLADESH (30 November-2 December 2017)
In the capital Dhaka, Francis met with Rohingya refugees, a moment that will not be easily forgotten. After fleeing neighbouring Myanmar, they found refuge in Bangladesh. On this occasion, the pontiff outlined what he considers a culture of encounter, that is, the necessary condition for seeing others as a path and not as an obstacle. This "openness of heart," as he called it, did not erase the enormous suffering of the Rohingya community before whom Pope Francis asked for forgiveness.
THAILAND (19-23 November 2019)
This visit marked several important anniversaries and events both for the country and for the local Church, most notably the 50th anniversary of Vatican-Thailand diplomatic relations, and the meeting in the Vatican between Pope Leo XIII and Thai King Rama V Chulalongkorn, the first non-Christian ruler to visit the Holy See.
In Bangkok, Francis repeatedly emphasised the energy and smiles of the Thai people, making strong pleas against the trafficking of human beings and children, against prostitution and for openness towards migrants and refugees, noting that, “The future of our peoples is linked in large measure to the way we will ensure a dignified future to our children.”
JAPAN (23-26 November 2019)
At the Hiroshima memorial, Francis made his strong appeal against the use and possession of nuclear weapons. “With deep conviction I wish once more to declare that the use of atomic energy for purposes of war is today, more than ever, a crime not only against the dignity of human beings but against any possible future for our common home. The use of atomic energy for purposes of war is immoral, just as the possessing of nuclear weapons is immoral, [. . .]. We will be judged on this.”
Remembering the Holy Martyrs of Nagasaki, he said: “This shrine is above all a monument to Easter, for it proclaims that the last word – despite all evidence to the contrary – belongs not to death but to life. We are not destined for death but for the fullness of life. This was the message the martyrs proclaimed.”
KAZAKHSTAN (13-15 September 2022)
Francis made this trip to participate in an Interreligious Forum promoted by the Kazakh government. Devoted to peace, the meeting was held in a former Soviet republic at a particular time, a few months after the start of the invasion of Ukraine. Like John Paul II after 9/11, his visit was meant to be a plea for “all those who cry out for peace”. For the pontiff, “what is needed is understanding, patience and dialogue with all.”
MONGOLIA (31 August-4 September 2023)
What made this trip different from all the others is the size of Mongolia’s Catholic community, a mere 1,500 out of a total population of 3.5 million. Yet, the pontiff said that no one should be afraid of these numbers. “Let us keep our gaze fixed on Mary, who in her littleness is greater than the heavens, for within her she bore the One whom the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain (cf. 1 Kings 8:27).” The visit to Mongolia also provided a great opportunity to speak to Catholics who had come from neighbouring China, which the pope used to urge them to be "good Christians and good citizens." It also allowed him to highlight Mongolian culture and its care for creation, the "fruit of his benevolent design.”
In 2024, the pontiff made his last and longest trip to Asia, visiting four very different countries: Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country; Papua New Guinea, an almost entirely Christian country, Timor-Leste, one of the poorest nations in the world; and Singapore, one of the richest in terms of per capita income.
INDONESIA (3-6 September 2024)
An important symbol marked this visit, the underpass – the "tunnel of friendship" – that connects Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque and the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, the city’s Catholic cathedral, a metaphor for the possible encounter between Christians and Muslims. “This is an eloquent sign, allowing these two great places of worship not only to be ‘in front’ of each other, but also ‘connected’ to each other,” Francis said.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA (6-9 September 2024)
After reaching the faraway islands of Oceania, on the edge of the world, Francis said to their peoples: "You are not isolated, the Lord makes himself close here too." During the visit, he cited the example of several missionaries, including Blessed Giovanni Mazzucconi, one of the first PIME missionaries, killed in 1855 on his way to Woodlark Island.
TIMOR-LESTE (9-11 September 2024)
In this very poor country, marked by its long and brutal struggle for independence from Indonesia, Pope Francis praised its commitment to achieve reconciliation "with the brothers of Indonesia". On this occasion, he also referred to the remoteness of this land, reiterating that “in the heart of Christ the ‘existential peripheries’ are the centre.”
SINGAPORE (11-13 September 2024)
In one of the richest countries in the world in terms of per capita income, Francis celebrated the boldness and beauty of its skyscrapers, while inviting people to look at the what matters substantively in life. “Even at the origin of these imposing constructions, as of any other enterprise that leaves a positive mark in this world," he said, “while people may think that they are primarily about money, techniques or even engineering ability, which are certainly useful, very useful, what we really find is love, precisely the ‘love that builds up’.”
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