Churches in Asia-Oceania go all-out to prepare for Pope

On September 2, 2024, Pope Francis will embark on the longest trip of his pontificate yet, lasting 12 days and spanning across four countries in southeast Asia and Oceania.

As these countries get busy with logistical preparations, such as organizing tickets for the papal masses, giving reporters accreditation to cover the events, and more, the local Churches have also prepared some spiritual and educational material for their faithful to prepare for Pope Francis’ arrival in a little over a month. 

Aleteia goes through some of the pastoral resources that the local Churches have made available to promote the Pope’s visit. 

Pope Francis’ first stop on this long visit will be to Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, where he will be spending four days, from September 3 to 6, 2024. During his time there, he will meet the local political and government authorities, the Catholic community and those in need. He will also participate in an interreligious meeting in the majority-Muslim country’s biggest mosque and celebrate a Mass at a stadium. 

Although the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference has not launched a website for the trip as some other countries have, they have created a dedicated section on their news website, Mirifica.net, featuring the latest information. In this section there is also an article with a special prayer for the faithful, created in partnership with the apostolic nunciature and Vatican committee preparing the trip. It is available in Indonesian and English: 

After Indonesia, Pope Francis will take a flight to Papua New Guinea, meaning it will be the first time he steps foot in Oceania. He will visit the capital, Port Moresby, from September 6 to 9, with a short day trip to the northern town of Vanimo on the 8th. In this majority Christian country, but with a Catholic population counting for only 25%, the Pope will also celebrate a Mass, meet with members of the Church and the state, and meet with Vanimo's missionaries and the faithful. 

The Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands launched a website dedicated to the papal trip on May 14, 2024, which features the latest updates and news and has information on how to register for events. It also has fun facts about the Church such as that “15% of all hospitals in the United States are Catholic hospitals” and that in some parts of the world “the Catholic Church provides the only healthcare, education, and social services,” or that “Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, was Catholic and the first book ever printed was the Catholic Bible.”

In a note published on the website the organizers also encourage all parishes in PNG to organize Holy Hours and Adorations once a week to prepare for the Pontiff’s arrival. The website also features a prayer, available in English and in Tokpisin : 

Pope Francis' next stop after Papua New Guinea will be Timor Leste, where he will stay in the capital Dili from September 9 to 11. In this nation where around 97% of the population is Catholic, Pope Francis will again meet the faithful and members of the local Church and the government and state officials and celebrate a Mass.

In an interview with the Fides press agency published on July 31, Father Bento Pereira, head of communications and media for the Timorese Bishops’ Conference, said that they have prepared some materials for a cycle of catecheses that are being done across the country's three dioceses. The catecheses focus on the Pope’s biography, his encyclicals and documents, his mission, and on the central theme of the visit. Father Pereira also said a prayer has been created and is being recited in Churches and other religious centers. 

The Timorese government website offers periodic press releases with updates on how the preparations are going, as it is working closely with the Church. In a press release published on July 16, 2024, the government and Church representatives announced that that the Radio and Television of Timor Leste (RTTL) has a talk show titled “Preparation for the Apostolic Visit of His Holiness Pope Francis to East Timor,'” to give updates and share information on the papal trip. 

The Pope’s final destination will be Singapore and he will stay there from September 11 to 13, before returning to Rome. In this multicultural and multi-faith city-state, Pope Francis will again meet with the local Catholic community and state authorities and celebrate a Mass at a stadium. He will also participate in an interreligious meeting with a group of young people. 

The Archdiocese of Singapore has launched a website dedicated to the papal visit, where pilgrims have signed up to receive tickets to attend the Mass Pope Francis will celebrate on September 12. The website also features an FAQ section, the latest news, and a link to the official souvenir online shop that is selling t-shirts, backpacks, water bottles and more.  

The site also features a prayer that Catholics are encouraged to recite: 

The Church in Singapore has also created a booklet, summarizing 12 of Pope Francis’ most important texts, to accompany the faithful’s spiritual preparation for the visit. The booklet is an adaptation of the book “A Joyful Journey with Pope Francis: Exploring Twelve Pivotal Documents,” by Father James Kroeger, a Maryknoll Missioner in Asia. The book was published in February 2024, and focuses on various texts such as Laudato Si’, Evangelii Gaudium, Amoris Laetitia, and the Pontiff’s 2023 letter on St. Therese of Lisieux, C’est la Confiance. 

The booklet also suggests a structure to follow when meeting in a group to learn about the various documents by alternating moments of prayer, the reading of the booklet, questions to reflect on one’s faith and reading the Bible.