Over the last couple of weeks, Pope Francis hoisted himself up on sore legs dozens of times. As he crisscrossed large swaths of the Asia Pacific region, he shuffled from cars to his wheelchair, from the wheelchair to makeshift papal thrones and on and off many planes as hot, tropical winds blew on the tarmac.

       The trip amounted to the longest and farthest reaching yet for Francis, and at 87, some of his supporters fear it may be one of his last. But that he flew thousands of miles to Asian countries with relatively small Catholic populations, braving oppressive temperatures and high levels of humidity and pollution, underlined Francis’s commitment to building a church with a less Eurocentric future.

       “The long distance, the fatigue, the challenges,” said Cardinal Michael Czerny, a close aide to Francis. “They are part of the message.”

       Francis’ papacy has from the start been one of symbols: the small modest cars he’s used, kissing the feet of criminals, the Casio watch he wears. His destinations are as much a part of his teachings as his homilies, and this trip to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore was seen as part of how he has defined his papacy.

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       The purpose, he has long made clear, is to emphasize outreach and inclusivity. As he visited remote, tropical villages in Papua New Guinea, he put in practice his pledge to embrace what he calls the church’s “peripheries,” faraway, minority or poorer Catholics.

       Image

       Pope Francis visited a school in Baro, Papua New Guinea, on Sunday.Credit...Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters

       The map highlights the Asia Pacific countries and cities that the Pope visited on his tour, including Singapore; Jakarta, Indonesia; Dili, East Timor; and Vanimo, Wewak, Wabag, and Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

       Pacific Ocean

       MALAYSIA

       SINGAPORE

       Vanimo

       INDONESIA

       Wewak

       PAPUA

       NEW GUINEA

       Dili

       Jakarta

       Wabag

       Port

       Moresby

       EAST TIMOR

       Indian Ocean

       AUSTRALIA

       750 miles

       Pacific Ocean

       MALAYSIA

       SINGAPORE

       Vanimo

       PAPUA

       NEW

       GUINEA

       INDONESIA

       Dili

       Jakarta

       Port

       Moresby

       EAST TIMOR

       Indian Ocean

       AUSTRALIA

       750 miles

       By The New York Times

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