Behind the scenes as Pope Francis kicks off historic, longest-ever tour

Pope Francis greeting members of the media on board the papal flight with him shortly after take-off on Sept 2. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING

ROME/JAKARTA – Without announcement or fanfare, I looked up from my seat and there he was, in his trademark white cassock.

Pope Francis, the head of the worldwide Catholic Church, stood at the front of the cabin on the papal plane, where for a second he took in the sight of the 80-strong media team accompanying him on his 45th – and longest – apostolic journey abroad.

Then came the cue. “Good evening, Your Holiness. We are at the start of this long journey, which will take you to Asia and Oceania… Perhaps you would like to say a word,” said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni in Italian.

READ: Pope Francis embarks on longest, most challenging trip to Asia

Taking the microphone, the sovereign of Vatican City said: “Hello, hello, everyone. I thank you for coming on this journey, thank you for the company. Thank you very much, and I will see you again on this very long flight.

“I think it is the longest I have done.”

“It’s the longest,” Mr Bruni affirmed, without skipping a beat.

“Grazie,” responded the Pope, wrapping the 35-second exchange.

Pope Francis addressing the media entourage that will be trailing him as he embarks on his most ambitious tour to date in Asia-Pacific. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING

It was 6.08pm on Sept 2, barely 30 minutes after the chartered plane carrying his entourage took off from Fiumicino Airport in Rome.

And so it began – the Pope’s most ambitious trip to date, by number of days he will spend away from the Vatican (12), the length of time he will be spending on a plane (45 hours), and the number of stops he would make (five), including a visit to Vanimo, a city in north-westernmost Papua New Guinea.

READ: Pope arrives in Muslim-majority Indonesia to start Asia-Pacific tour

To the surprise and delight of those on board, the 87-year-old pontiff then walked down the aisle to greet everyone individually. Many had expected to see him in a wheelchair for most of the trip because of well-documented issues with his knee.

Instead, he was on his feet for the next half an hour – albeit taking slow, measured steps with the aid of a walking stick, and having his minders bending to check that nothing was in his path.

To the surprise and delight of those on board, Pope Francis walked down the aisle to greet everyone individually. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING

The seasoned journalists had stories for the Pope, as it had been nearly a year since the last overseas papal trip. Their number included former Reuters senior Vatican correspondent Philip Pullella, who has accompanied three popes on 140 papal flights so far.

Former Reuters senior Vatican correspondent Philip Pullella (in beige) is on his 141st papal flight. He has covered the papacy since the reign of Pope John Paul II. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING

The latest trip also saw three journalists each from Singapore, Indonesia and Timor-Leste among the Vatican-accredited media personnel – or VAMP among staff members – by virtue of us being from the countries the Pope will be visiting this time around.

The Straits Times correspondent Wong Pei Ting on board the papal flight. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING

In that moment, we were a nervous lot anticipating our first audience with the Pope, with a few getting ready to present stashes of rosaries and crosses bought on behalf of friends and family for his blessing.

As for me, a non-Catholic, pointers of decorum flashed in my mind as I readied to make my first impression. No need for curtsies, bowing, kneeling or kissing of the papal ring, we were told.

Just come as yourself, except don’t be rude, a Vatican employee had said when I sought a more authoritative point of reference. I may address the Pope as “Your Holiness”, not just “Hi”, in the same vein as how we use “Your Honour” to address a judge, for instance. The rest is “completely up to you”, he said in an informal briefing with reporters travelling with the Pope for the first time.

This is not a moment for journalistic questions, however, he quickly interjected, sensing the room growing ever slightly more emboldened. “You can present yourself. Just a few words, and that’s it.” Also, wear dark colours and come in business casual.

The encounter

Thus, in a dark navy blazer, greenish-brown top and black dress shoes, I reached my right hand out to the Pope, whose hand was already extended, and greeted him “Your Holiness”.

The writer greeting Pope Francis on the papal plane. PHOTO: COURTESY OF WONG PEI TING

I had come prepared with a line in Spanish, the Argentinian’s native language, to convey the hope that he was well-rested, given that he has been grappling with bronchitis and knee pain.

But the words came out in a stutter, partly due to the sheer number of broadcast-grade cameras aimed in my direction.

The patient pontiff continued to hold my hand and listen as I bungled the line. He gracefully defused the situation by remarking that I must have been trying to speak Espanol, and everyone laughed.

When the writer’s words came out in a stutter, Pope Francis gracefully defused the situation by remarking that she must have been trying to speak Espanol, and everyone laughed. PHOTO: COURTESY OF WONG PEI TING

I had to mention Singapore, of course, remarking: “My Catholic friends in Singapore can’t wait to see you.”

This will be the first time in 38 years that a Pope visits Singapore. Pope John Paul II was the first pontiff to visit the country back in 1986, when he stopped by for five hours, en route to Fiji.

This time, Pope Francis will spend nine times that length of time, or some 45 hours, on this island nation more than 10,000km from Vatican City.

That’s a little longer than the time he will spend in the air for this tour. The longest flight of his seven planned take-offs is from Rome to his first stop in Jakarta, Indonesia, at about 13 hours.

Pope Francis arriving at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, on Sept 3. PHOTO: EPA-EFE

Despite being his first trip outside Italy in close to a year, and the most ambitious tour of his 11 years in the papacy, the Pope looks like he is ready for all of it.

At his customary Sunday Angelus prayer on Sept 1, a day before this flight took off, he told the crowd gathered at St Peter’s Square to pray that the trip would bear fruit. Perhaps the cheers of those in the crowd, including some waving Indonesian flags, had energised him.

Stirring faith, bridging gaps

Catholics I interviewed before my trip said interfaith dialogue is likely to be at front and centre of Pope Francis’ agenda.

The Indonesia portion kicks into high gear on Sept 5, when the Pope attends an interfaith meeting at Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque. It is South-east Asia’s largest mosque, and sits opposite the city’s only Catholic cathedral.

Former Jesuit scholastic Don Basil Kannangara said Pope Francis has pushed the boundaries of interfaith dialogue by asking how such dialogue could be leveraged to improve humanity and heal the world.

The 44-year-old founder of Being Bridges, a social enterprise, also noted that the Pope has been a leader unafraid to defy norms and traditions of the Church, and to demonstrate that it is possible to love the sinner while not loving the sin.

As a result, many inactive Catholics are now returning to their Christian faith, in what has been referred to in Church circles as the Francis effect, said Mr Kannangara.

“Many people who have left their faith are now returning because they see a leader that seems to really represent what Jesus was teaching, what they’ve learnt in scripture, all of these things,” he added.

Pope Francis’ coat of arms embroidered onto the headrest covers of the papal flight operated by ITA Airways. ST PHOTO: WONG PEI TING

Franciscan Friar Derrick Yap, 51, told me he expects that the tour will heavily reference the Laudato Si, which touches on the care of the environment and creation, and the Fratelli Tutti, which calls for universal brotherhood and social friendship.

The Pope published these two encyclicals – the pontiff’s highest form of communication – in 2015 and 2020 respectively.

Indeed, Laudato Si corresponds to key themes that the Vatican’s Mr Bruni had said are expected to emerge out of the Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste legs.

“We are talking about countries that stretch out between the ocean and the sky, and are rich in seas, mountains, tropical forests, animals and precious minerals,” he said. A reflection on these can be expected, he stated in a pre-trip press conference.

The last leg in Singapore will again touch on interfaith exchange, with Pope Francis to deliver a state address at the National University of Singapore’s University Cultural Centre on Sept 12, and participate in a youth interfaith meeting the next day.

Technology is another theme that could emerge in Singapore. Mr Bruni remarked at the press conference that its advancement has transformed society while bringing about several new challenges.

The Pope has dedicated some reflections to this theme in recent times, including how one can balance technology and social and spiritual development, Mr Bruni noted.

Whatever the message the Pope may bring, Friar Yap is hopeful that Pope Francis will unite people and bring hope wherever he sets foot on this trip.

Noting that these two things are sorely needed in this time of much fragility and fragmentation within families and societies and between countries, he said the call is for the people to become one.