Francis fulfills dream, goes to Japan as missionary pope

Pope Francis will fulfil his dream to be a missionary in Japan when he arrives for a three-day visit with two main aims: to appeal for nuclear disarmament and minister to a tiny Catholic flock with a rich but bloody history.

Francis travels Saturday from Thailand to ar Asian country where Catholics are a mirity — less than 0.5% of Japan’s 127 million people, most of m loosely affiliated with Buddhism or Shinto, or both.

community he will find has changed dramatically in recent years with an influx of foreign workers. Today, se temporary workers make up more than half of Japan’s Catholic population of 440,000, according to Archdiocese of Tokyo’s international centre.

Francis will minister to m at various points over coming days, including in Nagasaki, which remains a centre of Catholicism centuries after St. Francis Xavier first brought Christianity to archipelago in 1549.

One of highlights of trip will be Francis’ prayer Sunday at memorial of 26 Nagasaki Martyrs, who were crucified in 1597 at start of two-century wave of anti-Christian persecution by Japanese rulers.

Francis will also greet descendants of “Hidden Christians,” who persevered in ir faith for generations despite threat of death and absence of priests.

ir cour helped inspire a young Jesuit priest named Jorge Mario Bergolio to be a missionary in Japan. future pope was denied due to health issues.

Francis’ Japanese nda is somewhat upside down compared to a usual papal trip, when meetings with he of state in capital come first, followed by or events out of town.

In Japan, Francis inste will he to Nagasaki and Hiroshima first thing Sunday, visiting sites of atomic bombings. It doesn’t appear an accident of itinerary.

Francis has gone furr than any or pope by saying that t only use but mere possession of nuclear weapons is “to be condemned.” He’s expected to issue a strong appeal for total nuclear disarmament Sunday, and will likely repeat that mess when he meets with victims of 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster on Monday — before he calls on Emperor Naruhito or Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

“He is a super diplomat who extends secular global messs that go beyond religious messs,” said Kfumi Ue, former Japanese ambassor to Holy See. “Those issues are universally shared by international community.”

But Francis’ key aim is to tend to his tiny flock, which has grown exponentially more diverse in recent years.

Japan h long kept its door closed to immigrants, but country last year opted a new policy to open up unskilled jobs to temporary foreign workers, a major revision to country’s policy to deal with its rapidly ing and declining population.

Many of newcomers hail from Philippines, Vietnam and Brazil and are Catholic, rejuvenating local churches which w offer Masses in English, Tagalog, Portuguese, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Francis has me welcoming migrants a hallmark of his papacy, so he will likely refer to se newcomers in at least some of his speeches — including on Saturday evening when he dresses Japanese bishops.

“Japan has accepted only an extremely small number of refugees and has fallen far behind global standards, so I’m hoping pope will touch on issues,” said Kanae Doi, Japan director of Human Rights Watch. “It would be great if he discusses those issues and raises awareness about role Japan is expected to play as part of international community.”