Pope Francis, 87, left today for a 12-day tour of countries in Asia and Oceania, starting with Indonesia, the first stop of his marathon trip, which will focus on interfaith dialogue.

The aircraft carrying the pontiff took off from Rome-Fiumicino airport at 18:32 (Greece time), according to AFP journalists participating in the mission. It is expected to land on Tuesday morning in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. The program then foresees visits to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.

This 12-day, 32,000km marathon is Pope Francis’ longest and farthest journey since he was elected to office in 2013. It could be a physical challenge for the Argentinian pontiff, who has struggled with health in recent years but often shows to be refreshed by his travels and contact with the faithful.

Francis is the third pope, after Paul V in 1970 and John Paul II in 1989, to visit the archipelago of 17,500 islands in Indonesia, a country home to 8 million Catholics. Although large, the number of believers corresponds to only 3% of the population of the country, the most populous Muslim country in the world (242 million or 87% of the inhabitants).

In Jakarta, a metropolis threatened by pollution and flooding, the pope may once again sound the alarm on climate change.

This visit, however, focuses on interreligious dialogue. Representatives of the six officially recognized religions (Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism) are scheduled to meet and exchange views on Thursday in the largest mosque in Southeast Asia.

The president of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, Antonius Subianto Bunjamin, said the pope and Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar would co-sign a joint declaration with two main themes: “de-judgment” linked to the conflicts and violence against children and women, as and environmental protection.

The Istiklal Mosque neighbors the Dormition Cathedral, and local authorities in 2020 built a “friendship tunnel” connecting the two buildings as a symbol of religious brotherhood.

A huge banner reading “Welcome Pope Francis” was erected in central Jakarta today. A stamp in honor of the pontiff was released especially for the occasion.

In Jakarta the pope will also meet with outgoing president Joko Widodo and hold a mass in an 80,000-seat stadium.

This trip, Francis’ 45th abroad, was originally planned for 2020 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the following years, the pontiff underwent abdominal surgery and experienced breathing problems. Now he only gets around with a cane or a wheelchair. And on this trip he is accompanied by his doctor and two nurses, as announced by the Vatican.