Cindy Wooden

Arriving in Singapore from Timor-Leste, Pope Francis made the biggest transition of his 12-day trip to Asia and the Pacific, moving from one of the world’s poorest countries to one of its wealthiest and from one of the most youthful to one of the oldest.

In Papua New Guinea, the term “wantok” means people who share a language and culture, and that is what Christians should be, Pope Francis said, but only in the sense of sharing the language and culture of love.

Not long after Pope Francis left Indonesia, authorities there announced they had arrested seven people for making online “terror threats” against the pope.

The Christian call to share the Gospel is not about trying to win converts at all costs, but about living in a way that exudes Christian joy and always treats others with respect, Pope Francis told churchworkers in Indonesia.

Politicians have an essential role in preserving the unity of a nation by working for the common good and promoting cooperation, especially when “the exasperation of contrasts” threatens to divide a country, Pope Francis told Indonesia leaders.