Pope Francis Arrives in Papua New Guinea for Second Stop on 12-Day Trip – Reuters

By Joshua McElwee

PORT MORESBY (Reuters) – Pope Francis arrived in Papua New Guinea on Friday evening after his visit to Indonesia, embarking on an ambitious 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania.

The Garuda Indonesia flight carrying the pope and his delegation landed in Port Moresby, the capital city, where he will spend the next three nights.

As the 87-year-old pontiff exited the plane in his wheelchair, he was greeted on the tarmac by Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso and prominent figures from the Catholic Church in the region.

Local children welcomed him with gifts while a military band played the Vatican anthem.

Following a brief ceremony at the airport, Francis made his way to the Vatican embassy for the night. His first public appearance in the country is scheduled for Saturday morning, where he will address political leaders.

During his stay in Papua New Guinea, the pope plans a day trip to the northwestern town of Vanimo before leaving on Monday. After this visit, he will head to East Timor and Singapore, returning to Rome on September 13.

In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, Francis urged political leaders to be vigilant against religious extremism. He also visited Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, where he signed a joint declaration with the national grand imam. This statement emphasized the need for unified action between Catholics and Muslims to confront climate change issues.

Climate-related concerns are anticipated to be a focal point during his visit to Papua New Guinea, where political figures have attributed recent natural disasters to climate change, including a landslide in March that resulted in the tragic loss of at least 2,000 lives.

Throughout his 11-year papacy, Pope Francis has consistently highlighted the importance of environmental matters.

With this recent flight, the pope has traveled approximately 16,000 km (around 10,000 miles) during this overseas trip, marking one of his longest journeys. By the time he arrives back in Rome, his total travel for this trip will near 33,000 km (20,500 miles).

(Note: This story has been corrected to accurately state "deputy prime minister" instead of "prime minister" in paragraph 3.)