87 and hobbled, Pope Francis goes off-script in Asia and reminds world he can still draw a crowd

DILI, East Timor (AP) — It was the farthest trip of his pontificate and one of the longest papal trips ever in terms of days on the road and distance traveled. But Pope Francis, age 87, hobbled by bad knees and bent over with sciatica, appeared to be having the time of his life. ...

AP PHOTOS: See the best moments from Pope Francis' Asia-Pacific trip — his longest ever

BANGKOK (AP) — Pope Francis has wrapped up his longest and most challenging trip ever, which took the 87-year-old pontiff more than 32,000 kilometers (20,000 miles) by air to four countries in the Asia-Pacific from Sept. 2 to 13. He visited the country with the world's largest...

Pope travels from one of the world's poorest countries to one of the richest: Singapore

SINGAPORE (AP) — Pope Francis flew to Singapore on Wednesday for the final leg of his trip through Asia, arriving in one of the world’s richest countries from one of its poorest after a record-setting final Mass in East Timor. After a brief farewell ceremony, Francis, the Vatican...

PHOTO COLLECTION: Pope Francis Visits East Timor

How does the huge crowd for the pope's Mass in East Timor compare to others?

TASITOLU, East Timor (AP) — Popes are popular. So much so that nearly half the population of East Timor gathered Tuesday in a seaside park for Pope Francis’ final Mass in the small Southeast Asian country whose people are deeply Catholic. Other papal Masses have drawn millions of...

Pope Francis’ Mass in East Timor draws 600,000 people, nearly half the population

TASITOLU, East Timor (AP) — An estimated 600,000 people — nearly half of East Timor’s population —- packed a seaside park Tuesday for Pope Francis’ final Mass, held on the same field where St. John Paul II prayed 35 years ago during the nation’s fight for independence from Indonesia. ...

Vatican says 600,000 people attend Pope Francis’ Mass in East Timor, or nearly half the country’s population

In diesel-dependent East Timor, renewable energy transition remains slow despite government pledges

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — East Timor is at an energy development crossroads. While the small Southeast Asian nation — and one of the world's youngest countries — has made international and domestic pledges to reduce its carbon footprint through untapped solar and other...

Pope cheers East Timor's recovery while acknowledging a bishop's abuse scandal

DILI, East Timor (AP) — Pope Francis received a raucous welcome Monday as he arrived in East Timor to celebrate its recovery from a bloody and traumatic independence battle, even as he indirectly acknowledged an abuse scandal involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning hero. Timorese...

Pope arrives in East Timor on his first trip to the deeply Catholic country after two decades of independence