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Pope Francis, 87, takes climate message to Southeast Asia on 12-day journey

Pope Francis leaves on Monday for a visit to 4 island countries across southeast Asia, an ambitious trip to urge worldwide action on climate change that might test the strength of the 87yearold head of the global Catholic Church. Over 12 days from Sept. 213, Francis will take a trip almost 33,000 km (20,500 miles) to check out Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. It is the longest journey yet by the pontiff, who now routinely utilizes a wheelchair due to knee and neck and back pain. Francis pushed hard for the 2015 Paris climate contract and aides state he wishes to continue his interest face the threats of a quickly warming world, and especially to support the most susceptible. In the countries on his trip, these threats consist of increasing water level and increasingly serious and unpredictable heat waves and tropical cyclones. Jakarta, the Indonesian capital where the trip starts, has experienced dreadful flooding recently and is gradually sinking, triggering the government to develop a brand-new $32billion. capital on Borneo. Francis is scheduled to heading more than 40 occasions during the. trip and some observers state that, beyond his specific. schedule, he wants to reveal he is still efficient in leading the. 1.4 billionmember Church, despite his age and bouts of ill. health.

It is a program of strength for Pope Francis, stated Massimo. Faggioli, an Italian academic who has followed the papacy. carefully.

WHAT DOES THE POPE WANT TO ATTAIN?

Faggioli, a teacher at Villanova University in. Philadelphia, noted that no pope had actually explored abroad at such an. age. Benedict XVI, Francis' instant predecessor, resigned at. 85. John Paul II, struggling with Parkinson's disease, made his. last check out abroad at 84. The tour will be Francis' 45th foreign trip since his election. in March 2013. He speaks typically about connecting to individuals or. groups on the margins of society, and has prioritised journeys to. places never before checked out by a pope, or where Catholics are a. small minority.

Francis has actually nearly drawn a brand-new map of the Church, stated. Faggioli. It's international Catholicism now, a Church that it is not. just more internationally extensive, however truly globalised.. Also on the program is a restored push for Catholic-Muslim. dialogue, long a concern for Francis who, in 2019, ended up being the. initially pope to visit the Arabian peninsula.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country,. has about 280 million residents, only about 3% of them. Catholic. Francis will participate in an interfaith meeting at. Jakarta's Istiqlal Mosque, the biggest in Southeast Asia.

Jeremy Menchik, a political scientist teacher at Boston. University who has composed thoroughly on Indonesia's politics,. stated it was in a golden age of interfaith dialogue, noting. that the mosque sits opposite Jakarta's Catholic cathedral.

This is a minute where you have pluralism rather than. polemics, he stated. Francis lands in Jakarta at about midday on Tuesday, and departs. for Papua New Guinea three days later on. To allow him to rest. after a night-flight of more than 13 hours, he will have no. public activities on Tuesday, apart from a quick official. welcome at the airport.

WHY HAS THE POPE CHOSEN ASIA? In each of the four nations, the pope will hold official. meetings with political authorities, diplomats, and local. Catholics. He will also lead outdoor events of the. Catholic Mass in all 4 nations.

Catholic officials broadly see Asia as fertile ground to. expand the faith, which has experienced decrease in Western. nations.

Shihoko Goto, director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the. Wilson Center, a Washington think-tank, stated Francis' visit,. in spite of his health concerns, speaks volumes about the tactical. value of Asia for the Church.

Papua New Guinea, with a main population of about 9. million, has some 2.5 million Catholics, the Vatican states. East. Timor, with a population of 1.3 million, is almost 96% Catholic,. while Singapore counts about 210,000 Catholics among its 5.92. million people, according to the Vatican.

(source: Reuters)