Pope Francis greeting members of the media on board the papal flight with him shortly after take-off on Sept 2. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING
ROME/JAKARTA – With out announcement or fanfare, I appeared up from my seat and there he was, in his trademark white cassock.
Pope Francis, the top of the worldwide Catholic Church, stood on the entrance of the cabin on the papal airplane, the place for a second he took within the sight of the 80-strong media workforce accompanying him on his forty fifth – and longest – apostolic journey overseas.
Then got here the cue. “Good night, Your Holiness. We’re firstly of this lengthy journey, which can take you to Asia and Oceania… Maybe you wish to say a phrase,” stated Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni in Italian.
READ: Pope Francis embarks on longest, most difficult journey to Asia
Taking the microphone, the sovereign of Vatican Metropolis stated: “Hi there, good day, everybody. I thanks for approaching this journey, thanks for the corporate. Thanks very a lot, and I’ll see you once more on this very lengthy flight.
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“I believe it’s the longest I’ve accomplished.”
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“It’s the longest,” Mr Bruni affirmed, with out skipping a beat.
“Grazie,” responded the Pope, wrapping the 35-second trade.
Pope Francis addressing the media entourage that will probably be trailing him as he embarks on his most bold tour so far in Asia-Pacific. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING
It was 6.08pm on Sept 2, barely half-hour after the chartered airplane carrying his entourage took off from Fiumicino Airport in Rome.
And so it started – the Pope’s most bold journey so far, by variety of days he’ll spend away from the Vatican (12), the size of time he will probably be spending on a airplane (45 hours), and the variety of stops he would make (5), together with a go to to Vanimo, a metropolis in north-westernmost Papua New Guinea.
READ: Pope arrives in Muslim-majority Indonesia to begin Asia-Pacific tour
To the shock and delight of these on board, the 87-year-old pontiff then walked down the aisle to greet everybody individually. Many had anticipated to see him in a wheelchair for many of the journey due to well-documented points along with his knee.
As a substitute, he was on his ft for the subsequent half an hour – albeit taking sluggish, measured steps with assistance from a strolling stick, and having his minders bending to examine that nothing was in his path.
To the shock and delight of these on board, Pope Francis walked down the aisle to greet everybody individually. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING
The seasoned journalists had tales for the Pope, because it had been practically a 12 months because the final abroad papal journey. Their quantity included former Reuters senior Vatican correspondent Philip Pullella, who has accompanied three popes on 140 papal flights up to now.
Former Reuters senior Vatican correspondent Philip Pullella (in beige) is on his 141st papal flight. He has coated the papacy because the reign of Pope John Paul II. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING
The most recent journey additionally noticed three journalists every from Singapore, Indonesia and Timor-Leste among the many Vatican-accredited media personnel – or VAMP amongst employees members – by advantage of us being from the nations the Pope will probably be visiting this time round.
The Straits Occasions correspondent Wong Pei Ting on board the papal flight. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING
In that second, we have been a nervous lot anticipating our first viewers with the Pope, with a couple of on the point of current stashes of rosaries and crosses purchased on behalf of family and friends for his blessing.
As for me, a non-Catholic, pointers of decorum flashed in my thoughts as I readied to make my first impression. No want for curtsies, bowing, kneeling or kissing of the papal ring, we have been instructed.
Simply come as your self, besides don’t be impolite, a Vatican worker had stated after I sought a extra authoritative level of reference. I’ll handle the Pope as “Your Holiness”, not simply “Hello”, in the identical vein as how we use “Your Honour” to deal with a choose, as an example. The remainder is “utterly as much as you”, he stated in an off-the-cuff briefing with reporters travelling with the Pope for the primary time.
This isn’t a second for journalistic questions, nevertheless, he rapidly interjected, sensing the room rising ever barely extra emboldened. “You may current your self. Only a few phrases, and that’s it.” Additionally, put on darkish colors and are available in enterprise informal.
The encounter
Thus, in a darkish navy blazer, greenish-brown high and black costume footwear, I reached my proper hand out to the Pope, whose hand was already prolonged, and greeted him “Your Holiness”.
The author greeting Pope Francis on the papal airplane. PHOTO: COURTESY OF WONG PEI TING
I had come ready with a line in Spanish, the Argentinian’s native language, to convey the hope that he was well-rested, on condition that he has been grappling with bronchitis and knee ache.
However the phrases got here out in a stutter, partly as a result of sheer variety of broadcast-grade cameras aimed in my course.
The affected person pontiff continued to carry my hand and hear as I bungled the road. He gracefully defused the scenario by remarking that I should have been attempting to talk Espanol, and everybody laughed.
When the author’s phrases got here out in a stutter, Pope Francis gracefully defused the scenario by remarking that she should have been attempting to talk Espanol, and everybody laughed. PHOTO: COURTESY OF WONG PEI TING
I needed to point out Singapore, after all, remarking: “My Catholic pals in Singapore can’t wait to see you.”
This would be the first time in 38 years {that a} Pope visits Singapore. Pope John Paul II was the primary pontiff to go to the nation again in 1986, when he stopped by for 5 hours, en path to Fiji.
This time, Pope Francis will spend 9 occasions that size of time, or some 45 hours, on this island nation greater than 10,000km from Vatican Metropolis.
That’s somewhat longer than the time he’ll spend within the air for this tour. The longest flight of his seven deliberate take-offs is from Rome to his first cease in Jakarta, Indonesia, at about 13 hours.
Pope Francis arriving at Soekarno-Hatta Worldwide Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, on Sept 3. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Regardless of being his first journey outdoors Italy in near a 12 months, and essentially the most bold tour of his 11 years within the papacy, the Pope seems like he’s prepared for all of it.
At his customary Sunday Angelus prayer on Sept 1, a day earlier than this flight took off, he instructed the gang gathered at St Peter’s Sq. to wish that the journey would bear fruit. Maybe the cheers of these within the crowd, together with some waving Indonesian flags, had energised him.
Stirring religion, bridging gaps
Catholics I interviewed earlier than my journey stated interfaith dialogue is prone to be at entrance and centre of Pope Francis’ agenda.
The Indonesia portion kicks into excessive gear on Sept 5, when the Pope attends an interfaith assembly at Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque. It’s South-east Asia’s largest mosque, and sits reverse town’s solely Catholic cathedral.
Former Jesuit scholastic Don Basil Kannangara stated Pope Francis has pushed the boundaries of interfaith dialogue by asking how such dialogue may very well be leveraged to enhance humanity and heal the world.
The 44-year-old founding father of Being Bridges, a social enterprise, additionally famous that the Pope has been a frontrunner unafraid to defy norms and traditions of the Church, and to exhibit that it’s attainable to like the sinner whereas not loving the sin.
Because of this, many inactive Catholics are actually returning to their Christian religion, in what has been referred to in Church circles because the Francis impact, stated Mr Kannangara.
“Many individuals who’ve left their religion are actually returning as a result of they see a frontrunner that appears to essentially characterize what Jesus was instructing, what they’ve learnt in scripture, all of this stuff,” he added.
Pope Francis’ coat of arms embroidered onto the headrest covers of the papal flight operated by ITA Airways. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING
Franciscan Friar Derrick Yap, 51, instructed me he expects that the tour will closely reference the Laudato Si, which touches on the care of the atmosphere and creation, and the Fratelli Tutti, which requires common brotherhood and social friendship.
The Pope printed these two encyclicals – the pontiff’s highest type of communication – in 2015 and 2020 respectively.
Certainly, Laudato Si corresponds to key themes that the Vatican’s Mr Bruni had stated are anticipated to emerge out of the Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste legs.
“We’re speaking about nations that stretch out between the ocean and the sky, and are wealthy in seas, mountains, tropical forests, animals and treasured minerals,” he stated. A mirrored image on these could be anticipated, he said in a pre-trip press convention.
The final leg in Singapore will once more contact on interfaith trade, with Pope Francis to ship a state handle on the Nationwide College of Singapore’s College Cultural Centre on Sept 12, and take part in a youth interfaith assembly the subsequent day.
Expertise is one other theme that would emerge in Singapore. Mr Bruni remarked on the press convention that its development has reworked society whereas bringing about a number of new challenges.
The Pope has devoted some reflections to this theme in current occasions, together with how one can steadiness expertise and social and religious growth, Mr Bruni famous.
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Regardless of the message the Pope might convey, Friar Yap is hopeful that Pope Francis will unite individuals and convey hope wherever he units foot on this journey.
Noting that these two issues are sorely wanted on this time of a lot fragility and fragmentation inside households and societies and between nations, he stated the decision is for the individuals to develop into one.
