Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

Pope Francis is set to embark on a 12-day tour of Asia in September, marking the longest trip of his papacy. During this visit, he will engage with young people, marginalized communities, government officials, bishops, priests, religious and missionaries across Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore.

The Pope's itinerary includes stops in Jakarta from September 3-6; Port Moresby and Vanimo in Papua New Guinea from September 6-9; Dili in Timor-Leste from September 9-11; and Singapore from September 11-13. His focus will be on meeting people on the peripheries of society, including the elderly, the ill, street children, the disabled, and those who minister to them.

In addition to these meetings, Pope Francis will also meet with local Catholics and fellow Jesuits and celebrate Masses in each country. In Indonesia, a predominantly Muslim nation with a population of 281.5 million people according to the CIA’s World Factbook, he will participate in an interreligious meeting at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta. Similarly, he will hold an interreligious meeting with young people in Singapore.

Indonesia is notable for having the world’s largest Muslim population (87.4%), with smaller proportions of Protestants (7.5%), Catholics (3.1%), and Hindus (1.7%). Papua New Guinea is recognized as one of the most linguistically diverse countries globally with about 840 known Indigenous languages. It has a population of approximately 10 million people where around 70% are Christian and 26% are Catholic.

Timor-Leste gained international recognition as an independent state in 2002 after decades under Portuguese and Indonesian rule that resulted in significant loss of life and displacement. The nation remains one of the world's poorest countries with a population where 97.6% identify as Catholic.

Singapore stands out as one of the world’s most prosperous countries despite its small size. With a population of six million people, it exhibits significant religious diversity: 31.1% are Buddhist, 18.9% are Christian (of which 37.1% identify as Catholic), 15.6% are Muslim, 8.8% are Taoist, and 5% are Hindu.