Pope Francis wraps up his four-day visit to Indonesia and heads to Papua New Guinea for the next leg of his Apostolic Journey across Asia and Oceania. Following a private morning Mass at the Apostolic Nunciature, he departed from Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Friday morning for Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
At the airport, the Holy Father was warmly greeted by Indonesia’s Minister for Religious Affairs, along with civil and religious leaders, including Cardinal Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo of Jakarta. Pope Francis took a moment to interact with those gathered, including ground crew and staff preparing for his flight.
The Pope's flight to Papua New Guinea, covering nearly 4,700 kilometers (about 3,000 miles), is expected to land in Port Moresby by Friday evening.
His visit in Papua New Guinea will kick off on Saturday morning with a courtesy call on Governor General Sir Bob Bofeng Dadae, followed by meetings with local authorities, civil society representatives, and members of the diplomatic corps. The day will also include a visit to Caritas Technical Secondary School, where he will engage with children linked to Callan Services and Street Ministry.
Later, Pope Francis will meet with the Bishops of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, along with priests, deacons, religious figures, seminarians, and catechists at the Sanctuary of Mary, Help of Christians. Afterward, he will host a private visit with Prime Minister James Marape at the Apostolic Nunciature.
On Sunday morning, the Pope will celebrate Holy Mass at Sir John Guise Stadium. Following the Mass, he will travel nearly 1,000 kilometers to the diocese of Vanimo in the far northwest, where he will meet the local faithful and missionaries before returning to Port Moresby.
The Pope's final engagement in Papua New Guinea will be on Monday morning, September 9, when he will meet with young people. Later that day, he will depart from Port Moresby for Dili, Timor Leste, to continue the third stage of his Apostolic Journey.