Pope returns home after epic and successful four-nation Asia-Pacific tour

Pope Francis sits in a wheelchair on the day he meets participants in a pilgrimage promoted by the Order of Clerics Regular, Theatine, in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, on Saturday, September 14, 2024. - Reuters

ROME/SINGAPORE (AFP): Pope Francis returned to Rome Friday after a gruelling 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific, defying health concerns to connect with believers from the jungle of Papua New Guinea to the skyscrapers of Singapore.

The papal plane carrying the 87-year-old pontiff touched down in Rome shortly before 7:00 pm local time (17:00 GMT) -- bringing to a successful close Francis's longest trip in duration and distance since becoming head of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Roman Catholics more than 11 years ago.