Pope Francis was originally planning to visit the two countries in 2020
Pope Francis said he hopes to continue travelling next year, including making visits to countries in Oceania and Southeast Asia.
“I still have to pay the overdue bill for the trip to Papua New Guinea and East Timor,” the Pope told Argentine news agency Telam in an interview published on Oct. 22.
The Pope was originally planning to visit to the two countries in 2020. However, all papal trips were canceled that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In an interview in July with UCA News, Msgr. Marco Sprizzi, an official at the apostolic nunciature in Timor-Leste, said Pope Francis told him that he hoped to visit the country in January 2022 if the situation had improved.
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With thanks to Union of Catholic Asia (UCA) News, Catholic News Service and Junno Arocho Esteves, where this article originally appeared.
