Pope Francis wraps up longest overseas trip in his tenure

Anadolu, Philippine News Agency

While the pope framed his condemnation of surrogacy as a human rights abuse, the Catholic tradition has consistently opposed surrogacy, in vitro fertilization and abortion on the grounds that they violate natural law. (File Photo: Catholic Church England and Wales/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

ISTANBUL – Pope Francis concluded his longest overseas trip on Friday with a powerful call for interreligious dialogue.

The 87-year-old pontiff delivered his message at an event in Singapore, the final stop of his four-nation tour of Asia.

“If you dialogue as young people, then you will be able to do so as citizens and as members of a community,” Pope Francis said.

He underscored that “all religions are paths to reach God,” likening them to “different languages, different dialects” that ultimately converge on the same divine truth.

Pope Francis expressed gratitude to those who facilitated his journey during his visit.

In his post on X, he promised to pray for “the peoples of the other countries I have met during this Apostolic journey.”

This visit marks the second time a pope has traveled to Singapore, with the first being in 1986 under Pope John Paul II.

Over the past two weeks, Pope Francis also visited Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia, marking his longest international trip since his papacy began in 2013. (Anadolu)