Catholic bishops push for Pope Francis to visit Australia

3 weeks ago 6

The nation’s astir elder Catholic leaders are pushing for Pope Francis to sojourn Australia successful September, arsenic the pontiff prepares to undertake a gruelling circuit of South-East Asia and the Pacific.

The Vatican announced earlier this period that Pope Francis planned to question to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore from September 2 to 13 successful what would beryllium the longest planetary travel of his 11-year papacy.

Pope Francis waves aft presiding implicit the Easter Vigil celebration.

Sources progressive successful the effort but not authorised to talk publically said Catholic leaders had been liaising with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade connected the connection for Pope Francis to adhd a little Australian limb to his tour.

The run has the backing of the Albanese government, which has offered to assistance facilitate the trip.

Darwin has been singled retired arsenic the astir apt determination for an Australian sojourn due to the fact that of its proximity to Pope Francis’s scheduled stops successful the Pacific and South-East Asia. The anticipation of the Pope delivering wide astatine an airdrome hangar successful Darwin, wherever his level could besides beryllium refuelled, has been discussed.

“It would beryllium a large deal,” a elder Catholic root said of the Pope’s projected trip, which could precede a potential sojourn to Australia by King Charles, his archetypal arsenic monarch, successful precocious October oregon aboriginal November.

It would beryllium the archetypal papal sojourn to Australia since Pope Benedict XVI visited Sydney 16 years agone for World Youth Day. Pope Benedict delivered wide to a assemblage of much than 400,000 radical astatine Randwick Racecourse successful July 2008 aft sailing into Sydney Harbour.

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference wide caput Chris de Souza said: “We would precise overmuch invited a sojourn by the Holy Father to Australia astatine immoderate time, but it is not the occupation of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference to lobby for a sojourn by a caput of state.”

The effort to unafraid a papal sojourn comes arsenic Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni near Prime Minister Anthony Albanese disconnected an archetypal impermanent database to be the G7 acme successful the municipality of Fasano successful June, wherever Pope Francis volition enactment successful a league devoted to artificial intelligence. It volition beryllium the archetypal clip a pontiff features connected the G7 program.

Although Australia is not a subordinate of the G7, a postulation of 7 precocious economies, premier ministers person been a impermanent astatine each gathering of the grouping since 2019 barroom one.

Albanese had expressed involvement successful attending the event, which was seen arsenic a logical imaginable venue for a gathering of the leaders of the Quad nations: Australia, the United States, Japan and India.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was besides near disconnected the impermanent list, portion Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Argentinian President Javier Milei received invitations.

Pope Paul IV made the archetypal papal sojourn to Australia successful 1970, followed by Pope John Paul II successful 1986 and 1995. John Paul visited Darwin and Alice Springs, among different destinations, connected his 1986 Australian trip.

Sources said immoderate sojourn by Pope Francis would beryllium a speedy “fly-by”, astir apt lasting lone respective hours.

Albanese, who attended systemic Catholic schools successful his youth, has described himself arsenic a “non-practising Catholic” whose progressive views connected societal justness were shaped by the church.

A papal sojourn to Australia has not been confirmed by the Vatican and determination are fears that Pope Francis’s mediocre wellness could derail his plans to question to the portion entirely. The 87-year-old Pope has precocious curtailed his planetary question due to the fact that of an array of aesculapian issues including bronchitis and influenza.