When Pope Francis’ plane touched down in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste (East Timor) — the most Catholic country on earth outside the Vatican — the first to greet the pope was not the nation’s president or other members of the planned welcome delegation. Instead, it was the tarmac workers.
In many ways, the scene was reminiscent of Francis’ first international outing back in 2013, when on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, the pope’s tiny Fiat took a wrong turn and he was surrounded by swarms of onlookers. While police officers scrambled to control the situation, the pope kept his car window down, waving to the crowd and even taking a moment to kiss a baby.
And despite the underlying tension that papal travel often means millions of dollars being spent at the expense of taxpayers or underwritten by wealthy donors, it’s often when Francis is on the road that he’s able to underscore the simplicity that he expects from church leaders.
On his longest and farthest trip, Francis was able to return to the very beginning of his papacy, showcasing what he means by a “poor church for the poor” and using papal travel to put a spotlight on the people and places too often overlooked or forgotten.
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With thanks to the National Catholic Reporter (NCR) and Christopher White, where this article originally appeared.
