Pope Francis is heading on a 12-day visit of the Asia-Pacific region.

Pope Francis is about to set off on the longest and most difficult trip of his pontificate—a 12-day visit to the Asia-Pacific region. He will travel more than 20,000 miles by flight during the tour, passing through Singapore, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and East Timor. 

Rescheduled from its original 2020 schedule due to the coronavirus pandemic, the visit is perceived as an acknowledgment of Asia's significance as one of the few regions where the Catholic church is experiencing growth in terms of baptized believers and religious vocations. Throughout the tour, Francis is expected to headline more than 40 events.

Pope Francis is scheduled to travel to Indonesia, the nation with the largest Muslim population, where he will see the main mosque in Jakarta as well as the underground "Tunnel of Friendship" that connects it to the Catholic cathedral. In addition, he will celebrate a mass for over 80,000 people and meet Joko Widodo, the outgoing president of Indonesia. 

Pope Francis will meet with Argentine missionaries in Papua New Guinea and discuss the dangers posed by climate change. Then he is going to East Timor, where he will perform mass on the same waterfront promenade where Pope John Paul II conducted a liturgy in 1989, drawing attention to Indonesia's cruel colonization.

Pope Francis might be forced to address the issue of clergy sexual abuse if he moves to East Timor, where there is a Catholic majority. A hero of East Timor's independence, Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo was sanctioned by the Vatican in 2022 on claims of sexual abuse. Singapore, where three-quarters of the populace is Chinese-born, will be Francis's last destination. 

With an estimated 12 million Catholics living in China, the Vatican wants to strengthen its relations with the country. China's recognition of Melchior Shi Hongzhen, the bishop of Tianjin, has been welcomed by the Vatican.