Pope Francis is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church for over ten years now. The within narrated day and the vision of a world blessed by our Holy Father are eleven reign in the papacy tarnished by widespread ageism, shall impress younger generations more.
Beginning on 12 September, the 12-day journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore will involve 43 hours of flying time as 32000 kilometers will also be covered and about 12 countries will be visited, AFP Said.It is understood that this arduous schedule comes three months to the 88th birthday celebrations of the Pope, after which there have been remarkable health scares as speculation on the Pope’s resignation loomed large.
While the trip was scheduled to occur in 2020 but was delayed by the Covid-19 virus, today will be Pope Francis’s 45th overseas trip. It has been suspected that there has been a lot of pressure on the pope in the vatican especially since he had not been able to attend most of the easter celebrations because of a flu that he had been suffering from. His other trip to the united nations climate change conference in Dubai was canceled due to bronchitis. In addition, In June 2023, he also underwent hernia surgery that placed him in the hospital for 10 days.
Pope Francis has a busy trip planned which includes 16 speeches in four different countries, as well as many more meetings and ceremonies. The pope is determined, as one senior diplomat at the Vatican explained to AFP: “Yes, even the pope believes that we have to go a little farther still. He thinks that he is up to this travel this year. Next year, this will be less certain.”
Due to knee pain and sciatica which has flared up consistently since 2021, Pope Francis has had to use a wheel chair. Now he needs an elevator to board his plane and sits down while giving press conferences on return flights. However, no new health measures have been imposed for this trip, despite always traveling with a personal doctor and a nurse, a Vatican source said.
“He is well and there are no issues for him. This summer, there were no concerns,” the source quoted. Still, the Vatican has yet to provide a clear response on what health measures are in place or how they will work with the needed hospitals for the trip.
Also, the official of the Vatican stated, vindicating himself, that within the Vatican ‘there was admiration for the trip, although … there is also, concern, even a certain annoyance, at the pope’s insatiability which threatens his health and puts the security services on tight alert.”’ Andrea Ungar, president of the Italian Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics, commented on the Pope’s determination and said “This trip demonstrates once again the domi photo essay of the Pope.
According to Andrea Ungar, A third comment about the strong desire to face the challenges of the papacy. “It was really driven because he had strong motivation,” said Ungar. This one is directed more toward the Pope’s followers than to him Enforcement “The more you are still, the more you are still,” the proverbial states. “It is a show of strength for Pope Francis,” said Italian academic Massimo Faggioli, who closely follows the papacy.
Less than two weeks after this long trip, Pope Francis gets ready for a four-day visit to Luxembourg and Belgium starting on September 26. In October, there will be a General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops where the new direction and main work priorities of the Catholic Church will be agreed upon. Also in December, Pope Francis will lead the 2025 Year of Jubilee, which is a year long pilgrim year to Rome, with hopes to attract about 32 million people.
