ROME, Sept 2 (Bernama-dpa) -- Pope Francis on Monday embarks on the longest foreign trip of his tenure so far, due to take in four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania over the next 12 days, reported German news agency (dpa).
Departing by plane from Rome, the 87-year-old head of the Catholic Church will first visit Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world with more than 240 million Muslims. Further stops will be Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
The Pope's 45th trip abroad will focus in particular on peaceful coexistence between the different religions. Only in East Timor, the third stop, is the majority of the population Catholic.
Given the age and state of health of Francis, who now often uses a wheelchair, the breaks between his foreign journeys have become longer. The pontiff's last major trip abroad was a year ago, when he visited Mongolia.
The Pope, who has been in office for 11 years, will cover in total more than 30,000 kilometres by plane on this tour. He is scheduled to return to Rome on Sept 13.
A visit to Luxembourg and Belgium is on the programme for his next trip abroad later that month.
-- BERNAMA-dpa
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