Pope Francis made an overnight visit to Papua New Guinea from Indonesia, where the 87-year-old head of the world Catholic Church does maintain a 12-day journey through Southeast Asia and Oceania.
The bishop and his crew will spend three nights in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, before the Garuda Indonesia airplane arrives.
The pope, who was using his chair to board the plane, was met on the tarmac by Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso and top Catholic Church officials.
As a defense group played the anthem of the Vatican, nearby children gave him presents.
Francis made his way to the Vatican ambassador for the night following the brief meeting at the airport. On Saturday night, he’ll solve political leaders in his first public address in the nation.
Before departing the nation on Monday, Francis may make a morning trip to the city of Vanimo in the northwest of the nation. Finally, on September 13, he will travel to East Timor and Singapore before making his Rome-return trip.
In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority state, Francis urged political leaders to protect against religious fanaticism.
The bishop also visited Istiqlal Mosque, Southeast Asia’s largest, and signed a joint charter with the federal great sheikh. Christians and Muslims were urged by the speech to “decisive activity” to address the threat of climate change by world leaders.
The priest’s explore to Papua New Guinea, where social leaders have attributed a string of natural disasters, including a disaster in March that claimed at least 2, 000 lives, is expected to continue to be a focal point there.
Throughout his 11 years as bishop, the pontiff has repeatedly stressed the importance of economic concerns.
With Friday’s flight, the pope will have travelled about 16, 000 km ( about 10, 000 miles ) on the overseas trip, his longest yet. By the time he returns to Rome, he will have clocked nearly 33, 000 km ( 20, 500 miles ).
