While Pope Francis was out of town in Asia and Oceania, a mini-tempest erupted in Rome after a French court appeared to assert that France, not Italy or the Vatican, actually owns the Church of the Trinità dei Monti in the city’s famed Piazza di Spagna and the famed 135-step adjoining staircase, referred to in Italian as the Scalinata but better known in English as the Spanish Steps.
Before leaving Singapore, the most religiously diverse country on his trip to Asia and the Pacific, Pope Francis urged young people to approach others with courage and friendship.
The true significance of Singapore’s soaring skyscrapers, robust economy and high-tech achievements must be found in the stories of love and care that are behind them, Pope Francis said.
Arriving in Singapore from Timor-Leste, Pope Francis made the biggest transition of his 12-day trip to Asia and the Pacific, moving from one of the world’s poorest countries to one of its wealthiest and from one of the most youthful to one of the oldest.
As Pope Francis visits the most Catholic country in Asia in terms of percentage, local pastors and religious have said his decision to come to one of the world’s peripheries is appreciated and can help boost the local church and encourage young people to stay on the right path.
Pope Francis celebrated Mass for East Timor’s overwhelming Catholic majority on Sept. 10, applauding the country for its high percentage of youth and stressing the importance of becoming small and humble in order for God to work miracles.
As Pope Francis begins his brief, two-day visit to East Timor, one of the key underlying issues he will have to grapple with is the clerical sexual abuse crisis as the nation reels from allegations against highly revered members of the clergy.
Pope Francis has concluded the first leg of his four-nation tour of Asia and Oceania, leaving Indonesia Friday morning and landing in Papua New Guinea, where he is likely to address key agenda items such as poverty and climate change.
In the main event of his three-day visit to Jakarta, Pope Francis Thursday visited the city’s famed Istiqlal Mosque, where he and Muslim leaders outlined their vision for a moderate and tolerant society and called for an end to violent extremism.
On his final day in Indonesia, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the country’s minority Catholic population, telling them not to be discouraged in the face of difficulties and failure and to take risks in following Christ.
