PROSPECT HEIGHTS — It’s not known if Pope Francis ever suffered from jet lag, but the Holy Father logged a lot of air miles during his papacy, traveling to dozens of countries to spread the message of Jesus Christ’s love of mankind.
The pontiff covered an estimated 291,000 miles in his 12-year papacy. That’s roughly the equivalent of circumnavigating the globe 11 times.
One of those papal journeys included a visit to New York City in 2015, during which he stepped foot in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Pope Francis
came to New York from Washington, D.C., where he had addressed a joint session of Congress, and landed at JFK Airport, which is located in Queens.
The Holy Father’s first overseas trip was to Brazil in 2013 for World Youth Day. During the trip, he celebrated Mass on Copacabana Beach for about 3 million Catholics.
Pope Francis’ most recent trip was to Corsica, an island off the coast of France, in December 2024. It was his 47th apostolic journey and the first time a pope had visited the island.
In between Brazil and Corsica, Pope Francis traveled the globe, visiting countries such as Cuba, Israel, South Korea, the Philippines, Mexico, Bosnia, Kenya, Poland, Egypt, Bangladesh, Switzerland, Ireland, Lithuania, Indonesia, Belgium, and Morocco.
A papal trip is a significant boost to the host country, according to Father Mintu Rozario, coordinator of the Bangladeshi Apostolate for the Diocese of Brooklyn, who was serving as a priest in his native country during Pope Francis’ 2017 visit.
“Bangladesh is a small country in terms of Christian population, so it was unimaginable for us, especially, to see someone as important as him,” Father Rozario said, recalling memories of the open-air Mass Pope Francis celebrated in the capital city of Dhaka. “People from my parish were very excited. My parish was in the countryside. But we had to rent seven buses.”
Pope Francis himself ordained 17 new priests on the trip.
Over the years, the Holy Father has visited 10 countries on the African continent, including Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. His trips were a point of pride for all Africans, not just those living in the countries he visited, said Father Cosmas Nzealabu, coordinator of the diocese’s Nigerian Apostolate, noting that the visits “were always a huge occasion for all of us in Africa.”
According to figures released by the Vatican, there were 256 million Catholics on the continent in 2021, 5 million more than there were just a year earlier.
“The Catholic Church is growing fast in Africa, and the number of priests that we deploy to so many parts of the world is a testament to that,” Father Nzealabu said. “The pope was aware of that.”
Catholics in the Philippines spent six months preparing for the pope’s 2015 visit, said Father Patrick Longalong, coordinator of the diocese’s Filipino Apostolate. The timing of the visit was significant, Father Longalong added, because it took place only two years after a devastating typhoon hit the country, killing 8,000 people and destroying thousands of buildings.
The country was still rebuilding when Pope Francis arrived on Jan. 15, 2015. He visited areas that the typhoon had destroyed and expressed his solidarity with those whose lives had been turned upside down.
“It was heartwarming and inspiring,” said Father Longalong, who watched the coverage from New York. “He showed such mercy and compassion, not just in what he said but in his presence.”
The visit was a milestone for the Philippines for another reason, Father Longalong recalled. It was good preparation for the following year, when the country hosted the International Eucharistic Congress. “It set the table for it,” he said, adding that the nation’s citizens were now aware that they could host a major church event.
Father Baltazar Sanchez Alonzo, coordinator of the diocese’s Mexican Apostolate, remembers watching television coverage of the Holy Father’s 2016 trip to Mexico and being deeply moved by his visit to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
The pope entered the camarín, the small room behind the main altar, and sat in silent prayer for several minutes in front of a portrait of the Blessed Mother. “He was there praying for a long time. It was very powerful to see,” Father Sanchez Alonzo said.
The basilica is located near Tepeyac Hill, the site of the Blessed Mother’s apparitions to peasant Juan Diego in 1531.
“Mexico is a Catholic country, and I think the pope respected the people for their faith,” Father Sanchez Alonzo said.
Click the image below to view the full map of Pope Francis’ travel over the course of his pontificate from the April 26, 2025 print edition of The Tablet.
