Why was the Pope, 87 years old and in fragile health, so interested in this 12-day trip through four countries in Southeast Asia? According to Michel Chambon, a Catholic anthropologist and theologian, the questions are as much religious as they are political. For this specialist in Catholicism in Asia, who studies at the National University of Singapore, the city-state that the sovereign pontiff will visit from September 11 to 13, Francis wants to send a message both to his Church and to the main world powers, starting with China.
Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Singapore… This trip is the longest of the pontificate, both in duration and in kilometres travelled. How can we explain its importance in the eyes of the Holy See?
The situation has radically different aspects from one country to another, but we can nevertheless identify three main issues. The first objective is, in my opinion, to reaffirm the union of all Catholics in the world, showing a communion between the Pope, the universal Church and Asian Catholics: it is a way of responding to the discordant voices emanating from Francis’ opponents, particularly in the West.
The second objective of this trip is, in my opinion, to encourage local Catholics to roll up their sleeves on a number of issues, whether it be interreligious dialogue, climate change or social justice. In Singapore, for example, the Catholic Church benefits from many advantages: it has good ties with the government, real financial comfort, very pious and practising faithful (about 4.5% of the population), etc. In short, a situation that hardly encourages people to leave their comfort zone to make themselves heard on issues dear to the Vatican such as the abolition of the death penalty or immigrants.
Another example: in East Timor, Catholics represent 97% of the population. The Pope is therefore entitled to expect that the local Church, which enjoys prestige and socio-economic leverage, will invest more in sustainable development and social justice. Faced with the economic difficulties of this developing country, more and more young people are doubting the Church.
Finally, the third important issue is obviously geopolitics. As has been said since the beginning of the trip, it is about sending a message to the great powers of the world on issues such as the interreligious question, the rejection of war or the fight against the environment. But the Vatican also has its own interest, on the frontiers of theology and geostrategy: that of manifesting the universal sovereignty claimed by the papacy. China is also following this trip very closely and is keeping an eye on how Francis concretely illustrates this universal sovereignty.
You have 74.72% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
