Francis reiterated his wish to visit Beijing, answering a question during the press conference on the return flight from his trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania. In his answers he gave his impressions of the four countries he visited: Singapore, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. On the war in Gaza, he lamented, “I do not think they are taking steps to make peace.” Speaking about the US presidential elections, Francis stressed that abortion and rejecting migrants are both against life, telling voters that “one must choose the lesser evil”.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis held a press conference during the long flight last night that took him back to Rome after a twelve-day trip to Asia and Oceania.

In response to a question about the provisional agreement on episcopal appointments between the Holy See and China, which expires at the end of the month, the pontiff assessed the situation.

“I’m pleased with the dialogues with China,” he said. “The results are good. Even for the appointment of bishops, things are progressing with goodwill.”

Asked also about his dream of visiting Beijing, Francis said, “I believe China is a promise and a hope for the Church. Collaboration is possible, and certainly for conflicts. [. . .] I see China as an aspiration, meaning I would like to visit China. It’s a great country, and I admire and respect China. It’s a country with an ancient culture, a capacity for dialogue to understand each other that goes beyond the different systems of government it has had. I believe China is a promise and a hope for the Church.”

As for Beijing's possible contribution to conflict resolution in wars that stain the world, Francis cited the mission he entrusted to Card Matteo Zuppi, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Italy, who “is working in this area, and has contacts with China.”

The press conference was an opportunity to answer questions from journalists from some of the countries the pope visited over the past few days.

To those from Singapore, he confided his amazement at what he saw, “a developed, clean country with polite people, tall skyscrapers, and a great religious culture. The interreligious meeting I had was a model of fraternity.”

The pontiff saw clean, well-built skyscrapers for workers, which “I appreciated. [. . .] The last day I was struck by that culture. And then Singapore’s international role.” He noted, however, that he saw few children in Singapore, unlike East Timor. “Perhaps that’s something to learn… The future lies with children.”

To those who pointed out that he did not mention the death penalty in Singapore, which is being enforced after a hiatus during the pandemic, the pope replied that it did not occur to him. “The death penalty doesn't work. We need to eliminate it, slowly. Many countries have the law but do not carry out the sentence.”

A journalist from East Timor asked him whether he referred to sects, which are growing in the country, when, at the end of the Mass at Taci Tolu, he spoke of “crocodiles” threatening the local culture.

“I was not speaking about that,” Francis said, “but it’s possible. Because all religions must be respected, but there is a distinction between religion and sect. Religion is universal, whatever it may be. A sect is restrictive; it is a small group that always has a different agenda.”

Speaking about Papua New Guinea, he praised its “arts, dances, and other poetic expressions. This struck me a lot. The missionaries I visited are in the forest, they go into the forest to work."

To an Indonesian journalist who raised the issue of the exploitation of natural resources, which too often benefits narrow oligarchies, Francis replied that, “This is a common problem in developing nations. Perhaps one of the things that need to be developed is social relations. I enjoyed my visit to your country.”

As for countries that do not respect the Paris Agreement on climate change, the pontiff lamented that on the environmental crisis "we talk, we talk but we don't do it. This is my impression."

On the war in Gaza, with the never-ending news of brutal massacres, Francis said: “When you see the bodies of children killed, when you see that assuming that some of the guerrillas are there, you bomb a school: This is horrible. I am sorry for saying this, but sometimes I don't see steps being taken toward peace.”

Regarding the presidential elections in the United States, a journalist asked him what advice he would give to Catholic voters who have to decide between a candidate who is in favour of abortion and another who would like to deport 11 million migrants.

"Both are against life, the one that throws away migrants and the one that kills children," Pope Francis replied. “In terms of political morality, it is generally said that not voting is ugly: You have to vote. And one must choose the lesser evil. Who the lesser evil is, I don't know; each person must think and decide according to their own conscience.”

Finally, came a question about sexual abuse in the Church, in the wake of the latest revelations in France about the Abbé Pierre, but also about former Archbishop of Dili, Carlos Felipe Ximenes Belo, whom many thought of when the pontiff referred to the issue in East Timor.

“Good people, people who do good and then, with so much good they have done, you see that they are ugly sinners," Francis said. “This is our human condition. We must not say, 'let's cover up, let's cover up, so that it is not seen'. Public sins are public and must be condemned.

"Working against abuse is something we all need to do, but not only against sexual abuse, against all kinds of abuse: social abuse, educational abuse, changing people's mindset, taking away freedom. [. . .] Abuse is a demonic thing because it destroys the dignity of the person, it seeks to destroy what we all are: the image of God. I am happy when these cases come out.”

• vatican
• pope francis
• apostolic visit
• southeast asia
• oceania
• press conference