Will Pope Benedict XVI visit Asia in 2012?

Benedict XVI has not yet visited the largest continent which is home to over 60% of the world’s population, and 10.7% of its Catholics.This has caused deep disappointment among many Church leaders and Catholics across this region of the world. They revere and respect the pope, but consider a visit from him as the most visible sign that the peoples and Catholics of Asia too have a special place in his heart. Paul VI made two trips to Asia and visited 6 countries. John Paul II went there seven times, visiting 10 countries. Is it conceivable that Benedict XVI will not go there even once? “Asia is just too important to ignore, and therefore I think the Holy Father must come here”, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, the archbishop of Manila, told me. He went on to highlight not only the growing political and economic importance of Asia in the 21st century, particularly with the emergence of China and India as world powers, but also the immense new opportunities opening up for the Catholic Church to evangelize its peoples, and the increasing number of vocations and missionaries this continent is giving the Church. “Because of all this, and even though the number of Catholics in this part of the world is small, the Holy Father should take a serious interest in Asia, and the influence of Catholics in this part of the world at this moment in history. This area needs the visit of the Holy Father”, he stated. When, in July 2007, the Filipino Bishops learned that Pope Benedict would travel to Sydney, Australia, for World Youth Day 2008, they immediately invited him to stopover in the Philippines, the main Catholic country in Asia. But because of the pope’s schedule, the Vatican answered “No! Not for the time being.” They invited him also for the 2011 celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the University of Santo Tomas, but again without success. Nevertheless, “everyone is hoping he will come one day”, the cardinal confided. Apart from the Filipinos, several others have invited Pope Benedict to visit their country. The Archbishop of Yangon, Charles Maung Bo, addressing the Synod of Bishops on 14 October 2008, invited him to come to Myanmar. Later, in private, the pope told him he “would be ready to make a short visit to Myanmar” if he decides to go to another Asian country. In 2009, the Vietnamese Bishops made clear they too would like him to visit their homeland, when they met him on June 27, during their five-yearly visit. They had hoped he could come in January 2011 to preside at the close of their Jubilee Year, but that proved impossible as the Vietnamese government did not invite him. However, as relations continue to improve between Vietnam and the Holy See, they hope the Ha Noi authorities will soon open the door to him. The most pressing invitation, however, has come from South Korea’s President, Lee Myung-bak. He has invited Benedict XVI no less than six times to his divided country, where Catholics count for almost 11% of the population. He first invited him on 9 July 2009, when they met after the G20 summit in Italy. The Catholic bishops invited him that same year. Then, in August 2010, the President sent a special envoy from Seoul to the Vatican with the formal letter of invitation. He renewed the invitation several times since then because “he is convinced that Benedict XVI’s visit will greatly contribute to peace and development in the Korean peninsula and in North East Asia, and bring God’s blessing to all the people of Korea”, the country’s ambassador to the Holy See, Thomas Hong-Soon Han, told me. The latest invitation to land on Pope Benedict’s desk came from India. Cardinal Telesphore Toppo, President of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India, delivered it May 16, when the 44 bishops from the country’s north-eastern States met the pope for their five-yearly visit. The bishops applauded enthusiastically when the cardinal extended the invitation. Pope Benedict smiled. Later that week, when the cardinal met the pope in private audience they discussed the visit in some depth. Afterwards he told me that the pope’s reaction “was very positive”: he indicated his willingness to go to India “if my health permits”. They agreed it would be ideal if the visit could coincide with the canonisation of Mother Teresa of Kolkata, though that is not an indispensable condition. While these, and other invitations, sit on Pope Benedict’s desk there is still no indication from the Vatican as to where he will go next year. Several Vatican officials told me they recognize the need for a visit to Asia, and understand its importance. At the same time they mentioned factors that could weigh against it: age, health and distance. Significantly, however, no one ruled it out. Pope Benedict will be 85 next April. He has had health problems in the past, but these appear to have been overcome, or are well under control. Vatican sources say he is in “very good health” for a man of his age. Indeed he has shown considerable physical stamina and resistance during his visits to the UK and Croatia. He will travel to Spain, Germany and Benin later this year, and would not be travelling so much if he had serious health concerns. All these trips are short, however, the longest is around 7 hours, whereas any journey to Asia would involve a flight time ranging from 7 hours (New Delhi) to 12 hours or more (Seoul and Manila). On the other hand, Benedict XVI has undertaken long journeys before: to Brazil (2007), Australia and the USA (2008), so while distance is a concern, it may not be the decisive factor. “Travel is demanding (for Benedict XVI), he has to be careful not to exaggerate”, a Vatican official confided. Another concern is the fact that “it is very difficult to contain the agenda once the pope decides to visit a country; people always want to include many events in his program.” Nevertheless, while his doctors may counsel against long trips and his advisors may worry also about the agenda, it is the pope who finally decides. Right now several “apostolic journeys” are under consideration for 2012. “No definite decisions have been taken yet, everything is still open”, a Vatican official told me recently. He confirmed that “a visit to Asia is not excluded”.