Pope Francis' is Accompanied by a Doctor for his 45th Apostolic Journey Starting with a 13-hour Plane Trip to Jakarta for his Longest Visit Abroad

Pope Francis has begun his 45th Apostolic Journey abroad, to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore, as the papal plane takes off from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport.  The 87-year-old pontiff, will visit four countries in less than two weeks. Seven flights. A time difference of up to 8 hours. More than 33 meetings and 16 official speeches. He will spend a total of 44 hours on flights. The first flight from Rome will last 13 hours. 

The papal plane departed from Rome’s Fiumicino Airport at 5:32 PM, on September 2nd.

The 12-day visit to four countries in Asia and Oceania will be the longest Pope Francis has ever made as the Successor of Peter. Just before his departure from the Casa Santa Marta, the Pope met with 15 people who are homeless and assisted by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity. According to the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski accompanied the group to the Pope’s residence for a brief visit, according to a statement. 

 The papal plane is scheduled to land in Jakarta at around 11:30 AM (GMT+7). As he departed, Pope Francis sent a telegramme to the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella. "As I am about to undertake my Apostolic Journey to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore, driven by the desire to meet with our brothers and sisters in the faith and all those who, in these nations rich in human and spiritual values, have borne witness to solidarity, communion, and dialogue even in times and situations marked by trial, I am pleased to extend to you, Mr. President, and to the beloved Italian people my best wishes, which I accompany with heartfelt hopes for peace and prosperity."
In Asia, he will face high tropical temperatures with high humidity. In Papua New Guinea, for example, it could reach over 80%. And this could affect his lungs. Pope Francis has had a lobe removed from one of his lungs. Moreover, he has been hospitalized several times in recent years. In November 2023, he even cancelled his trip to Dubai.
He will travel as usual with a doctor and two nurses. Upon his return, Pope Francis will have little time to recover. He already has another journey out of Italy planned: at the end of September he will go to Belgium and Luxembourg.

Sources: Vatican News and Rome Reports