Pope Francis' Feisty 11-Day Asia Tour Defies Age and Ailments

Pope Francis, at 87, embarked on one of the longest papal trips during his pontificate, covering nearly 33,000 kilometers across Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. Despite his age and health issues, he engaged actively with local communities, often ditching prepared speeches to communicate extemporaneously.

Pope Francis, despite being hobbled by bad knees and sciatica at age 87, embarked on an 11-day tour across Asia covering nearly 33,000 kilometers. His trip spanned Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore, defying doubts about his capacity to manage such a demanding schedule.

In East Timor, Francis marveled at the crowd of 600,000, the largest turnout proportionally for a papal event, and spoke warmly to the people. Despite his ailments and jet lag, he showed he still has the vigor to transcend traditional papal roles, moving off-script to engage more authentically with crowds.

During his tour, Francis faced sensitive topics, particularly in Indonesia and East Timor, yet he maintained his characteristic candor. In Singapore, the Pope addressed youth spontaneously, emphasizing the courage to take risks and challenge norms, a reflection of his own journey through the region.

(With inputs from agencies.)