The Bishop of Rome is in Timor Leste today as part of a multi-nation trip through East Asia and the Pacific. Thanks to our social media generation, we can see what it is like to fly with Pope Francis on ITA Airways.
Video Report: ITA Airways Charter Flight With Pope Francis
Francis departed from Rome (FCO) to Jakarta (CGK) on September 2, 2024 on AZ4000, a charter operated by ITA Airways. Leong Wai Kit, a correspondent with CNA, was onboard the papal aircraft and filed the following video report:
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A few thoughts:
- The open seating makes sense for such a flight
- Yes, the food does look delicious and appears to be plated like premium economy class
- Whatever you think of his politics or theology, kudos to the pope for making the trip (in his declining physical state) and for taking the time to stop and chat with every single reporter onboard (meanwhile, one US presidential candidate hides from the press and the other calls members of the press an enemy of the people…)
Here’s another video of the same flight:
Interesting side note: Francis chose not to stay in a five-star hotel while in Indonesia, instead staying in Vatican embassies.
Francis will visit Indonesia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore on this trip.
Brandon disappointed because Brandon mistakenly thought he was a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream .
How much are you being paid to pump out this repetitive nonsense almost 24 hours each day? On this day, when Chi Hsuan is being called out for his sophomoric humor, I think we should examine your comment. I would like you to understand, as a Catholic I find it both offensive to the Holy Father and our president.
But also I will try to forgive your insensitivity. No one is perfect. I continue to pray for both of us.
@Maryland: As a Catholic, I am embarrassed to have this guy as a Pope. He is an absolute disgrace. If you don’t remember John Paul II, read about him. That was the example of what a Pope should be.
@Santastico … A little information about John Paul II … he loved the music Masses of Mozart . Van Karajan conducted Mozart’s Coronation Mass in St. Peters , exuberant . Myself , I am partial to the B Minor Mass of Bach , magisterial .
He is not a disgrace. He is an abomination before men and G.
The “holy” father my behind.
What makes him a disgrace?
@Maryland … I apologize .
There is a long history of satire , and a laugh a day keeps the doctor away .
For example , John F. Kennedy enjoyed a good Irish laugh . In Massachusetts , it is Fall one day , and Winter the next ; JFK was out in his small sailboat regardless . He had a house plant which bent down and took a drink from his Irish whisky when he put the glass on the table near the plant .
In wikipedia, the Timor Leste article is called East Timor. If you advocate the Timor Leste name, there is a good chance that a sophmoric anonymous teenage moderator (called administrator) will ban you. (they call it block)
Wikipedia is wacky at times
I spent two weeks in East Timor. It’s an interesting place and I’m sure the Pope’s visit may be the country’s biggest event since Independence. Also chill he’s going to PNG.
Why does this blog needs to get political? The U.S. candidate comment has nothing to do with travel.
That may be, but as a disgruntled US voter, I’m not happy with either choice.
But only one cares about keeping your taxes lower as a high income earner. The other wants to punish you for your success, hard work and tough life choices.
That alone should make your vote easy.
Narrow minded selfish people worrying about inflation and taxes. A vote for Trump will literally result in the end of American democracy and a crumbling of the world order. Ukraine will fall, China will be green lit to take Taiwan, our “allies” in Europe will be alone, living in fear of an emboldened Putin on their doorstep. Inflation rises and falls, taxes go up and down. As a responsible citizen of the world, I beg you people, OPEN YOUR EYES. Why is 50% of America just so ignorant. Hillary was right all along, a basket of deplorables.
@Frank … give us a break .
@Dave: I don’t support another round of tax cuts for the wealthy while our infastrcuture crumbles…
You mean keep taxes lower only for the rich…
It is funny, all these people who use the cop out of not liking either candidate, we didn’t hear advocating for RFK JR when he was still in the race. If all of you had supported him, we may have had a viable third party candidate for the first time in thirty years. Is this because you are influenced by the narrative the mainstream media sets on each candidate? RFK JR was a true centrist, ran on the same platform as his uncle and father but today, he is labeled a conspiracy theorist and extremist for these positions. So who are you for? The Morning Joe approved Mitt Romney or WSJ approved Marco Rubio? A Morning Joe or WSJ centrist is for war, big pharma, environmental degradation, high legal immigration, outsourcing of manufacturing jobs, federal reserve monetization of the debt etc. Oppose these uniparty policies and you are hit with ever label in the book.
@Peter … I gave RFK jr. a drink of Captain Morgan Rum , and his voice ailment was cured . He said , in a clear voice , he switched over to The Donald .
Peter: RFK Jr got me interested after this ad:
But the guy is a nut job…and I’ll just leave it at that. Glad you feel otherwise, but his positions on vaccinations, conspiracies, and other health-related matters I find dangerous.
Well you are proving my point. The mainstream media sets a narrative in order to dismiss the unipary’s disfavored candidates and people like you fall right into the trap. Question vaccine efficacy and why the childhood vaccine schedule has more than doubled since the 80s and you are immediately labeled a vaccine denier (whatever this means) and nutjob. Question why infants need a hepatitis b vaccine or covid vaccine when they are under no risk of either and then you are labeled a vaccine denier. This is how they discredit you. Of course there isn’t any possibility vaccine manufacturers have a profit motive for getting there shots added to the schedule. No way, they are such kind, altruistic companies who exist for the benefit of humanity!
I was labeled a covid denier by my friends because I said from March of 2020 covid’s IFR was nowhere near the 3% everyone was saying and it was probably around the flu. Covid denier! This is a convenient method to not engage on the points you have raised. Don’t be a sheep!
Because RFK JR is a horrible candidate? And person as well?
It’s comical to assume that everyone who is anti-RFK is some drinking the “uniparty” Kool-Aid. The man has incoherent, conspiracy-esque policies; a history of bizarre interactions with animals (the staged bear cub murder in Central Park? the barbecued dog? the worm in his brain?); and ran as a spoiler candidate to the Democrats only to backtrack when it became apparent that Republican voters are more taken with these nonsense conspiracies masquerading as policy. You will rebut these as uniparty talking points when really they’re the logic of ordinary people who don’t view this kind of kookery as a badge of honor.
People like you think if there’s a cloud in the sky it’s the aliens; if there’s a vaccine it’s a microchip; if there’s free trade it’s the new world order pushing globalism upon us. No one is discrediting you because some deep state apparatus tells them to — it’s because you’re unserious and were never worthy of credit in the first place
So who is your ideal centrist candidate?
am confused. was the post about the papal flight, the experience there of, Mathew, or was the post about the US elections / President? maybe you owe it to your many fans and readers some clarification. it’s your website, of course.
Because that sadly seems to represent a good chunk of readers/people commenting these days…the chat here used to be so much better here 5 or so years ago.
Alert, thank you for the apology. That means a lot. I stopped reading after the apology.
Santastico, I understand your your feelings. Ours is a religion that requires a lot of faith. Within my extended family, including a priest ( first an attorney ), Pope Francis is also a lightening rod not discussed at family gatherings. I pray a lot.
I assume the catering is significantly improved for this flight. I’m surprised they don’t remove seats or have an all-business or all-premium economy configuration for charters.
Assuming it’s the same catering which ITA uses, which is still pretty good (we’ll see how it is a year from now, now that LH is involved), so it’s probably at the same standard at least for what ITA usually serves.
You make an almost interesting story irrelevant by your stupid “US Presidental Candidate “ comment, which is neither relevant, or accurate. But you are neither! Is that for your merry gang of wierd followers/
Enjoy yourselves.