VATICAN CITY — In a sign that Pope Francis is determined to make the longest trip of his papacy by visiting four Asian nations in September, the Vatican released the themes chosen and logos designed for each stop.
During the 12-day Asian tour, the 87-year-old pope intends to visit: Jakarta, the Indonesian capital, Sept. 3-6; Port Moresby and Vanimo, Papua New Guinea, Sept. 6-9; Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, Sept. 9-11; and Singapore Sept. 11-13.
The last papal trip outside of Italy announced by the Vatican — a visit to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 1-3 for the U.N. climate conference — was canceled three days before Pope Francis was scheduled to leave because he was suffering from bronchitis.
The bishops of Indonesia have chosen “Faith — Fraternity — Compassion” as the theme for the pope’s visit.
“The main element of the logo features the image of Pope Francis with his hand raised in blessing in front of the emblem of the golden ‘Garuda,’ a sacred eagle,” said the explanation published by the Vatican press office May 8.
The logo also features a map of Indonesia, “an archipelago characterized by a great variety of ethnic and social groups, languages, cultures and religious beliefs,” it said.
“Pray” is the theme chosen by the bishops of Papua New Guinea, and the word is written vertically alongside a cross. The logo is predominantly in shades of orange and yellow to evoke the sunrise and sunset and the design features a bird of paradise with the colors of the national flag on its wings.
In Timor-Leste, the papal trip will be centered around the theme, “Let your faith be your culture.”
The center of the logo features a photo of Pope Francis giving his blessing “to symbolize the protection that the Timorese people will receive from God” during the pope’s visit, according to the explanation distributed by the Vatican. Behind the papal photo is an image of the globe and on top is a map of Timor-Leste.
The logo for the Singapore visit features the two-word theme in bright yellow letters: “Unity” and “Hope” separated by a starburst cross “inspired by the star that guided the Magi, by the Eucharist and by the five stars of the flag of Singapore.”
The church in Singapore, led by Cardinal William Goh Seng Chye, said “unity” was chosen to express the hope for “communion and harmony among believers, both within the Church and in the context of society and family relations,” while “hope” expresses a prayer that the pope’s visit will bring hope to Christians in the region, “especially for those who experience discrimination.”
