Pope's travels inspire us all
Opinion
Pope Francis may not have made it to Australia on his 12-day tour of Oceania and Southeast Asia but he entered the homes of many Australians through nightly news coverage.
I was pleasantly surprised to see how much time the networks and print media devoted to the tour. With the constant barrage of bad news, it was a welcome change to see images of Pope Francis making his way through crowds of joyful believers, embracing the rich and colourful cultures and traditions of indigenous peoples and taking centre stage with political and faith leaders.
His frailty was mentioned, as was the lingering shadow of clerical abuse cases, but nothing could dampen the positive vibes emanating from his bold travels.
His 45th apostolic journey abroad included Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore.
Covering 32,814km by air, it was not only the most ambitious tour of his pontificate, but also one of the most extensive papal voyages in terms of days on the road and distances travelled.
For a man who is just a couple of months short of 88 years and not without some health issues, it was a remarkable achievement and one that was deserving of significant media coverage.
It was also a masterstroke on the part of Pope Francis – not that we should be surprised by him anymore – to visit the world’s most populous Muslim country, Indonesia, using it to send a strong message of interfaith harmony.
A picture paints a thousand words and the images of the Holy Father being kissed on the head by the Grand Imam Dr Nasaruddin Umar at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta was a timely reminder of the need for respect and unity in our world today.
Pope Francis arrives at the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby. Picture: Fr Ambrose Pereira sdb
In Papua New Guinea Pope Francis followed his mantra of ‘going to the peripheries’ by travelling to the the coastal city of Vanimo in the north-west of the country, where he expressed his gratitude for the work of missionaries in the area. He also used the visit as an opportunity to highlight the country’s rich natural resources at risk of exploitation as well as the threat posed by climate change.
Located nearly 20,000km from the Vatican, PNG is the furthest place the Pope has travelled to be with his people. It was a powerful symbol of his commitment to serving the global Church in all its different flavours.
His visit to the fledgling nation of Timor-Leste where 40 per cent of the population is below the poverty line was a chance to put a focus on social justice and the plight of the poor.
It was also a sign of hope for the Church with nearly half the population of 1.4 million, the majority of which is under 35, turning up for the papal Mass on the same seaside park where St John Paul II prayed in 1989 during the nation’s fight to separate from Indonesia.
At his final destination, Singapore, he visited elderly people in Catholic run nursing homes and met with young people from a host of religions and faith traditions at a school. He encouraged them to leave their comfort zones, to dialogue and have the courage to move forward and offer constructive criticism.
In our local Church, one of the ways we heed Pope Francis’ call to accompany those on the fringes is by supporting Catholic Charities and the community service agencies it funds. In doing so, we demonstrate the gospel message of ‘faith with good deeds’. James (2:14-26) tells us, unless faith produces good deeds it is ‘dead and useless’.
One of the highlights of the annual Catholic Charities Thanksgiving Mass, held in September, is the presence of students and staff from our special schools. They are a visible, and sometimes vocal, reminder that every human being is precious and that the most vulnerable are especially deserving of our love and care.
This was reinforced when I met the new principal of the recently formed Catholic Special Schools entity and she talked passionately about how inclusive education is at the core of who we are as Christians and our Catholic social teaching (story page 5).
I am sure if Pope Francis was ever to visit Adelaide, our special schools would be high on his itinerary, as would Centacare Catholic Community Services and Hutt St Centre. We should be very proud of the long tradition of supporting these agencies through Catholic Charities and we are forever grateful to their dedicated volunteers and staff.
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