Pope Francis left Indonesia on Friday morning, heading to Papua New Guinea as part of his ambitious 12-day tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania. The 87-year-old leader of the Catholic Church boarded a Garuda Indonesia flight from Jakarta to Port Moresby, where he will stay for three nights.
During his time in Papua New Guinea, Francis will visit Vanimo before departing for East Timor and Singapore. His trip will conclude in Rome on September 13.
While in Indonesia, Francis called for unity against religious extremism and visited Istiqlal Mosque, where he signed a joint declaration with the national grand imam urging action on climate change—an issue that remains a focal point of his visit to PNG, which has been severely affected by natural disasters.
The pope’s journey marks one of his longest overseas trips, covering nearly 33,000 kilometers by the time he returns to Rome.
