After 12 days spent in 4 countries in Oceania and Asia, Pope Francis has begun the return flight to Rome.

The Holy Father boarded the papal plane in Singapore, which took off at 12:25 PM local time and is due to land in Rome at around 6:25 PM Rome time.

His 45th Apostolic Journey abroad took the Pope to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore.

In each of the countries, the Pope embraced thousands of people and directed a Christian message of hope and faith to various aspects of society.

The final day saw the Holy Father engage in intimate dialogues with a wide-range of Singaporean society. Pope Francis met first in private with the bishops, priests, and consecrated religious of the Bishops’ Conference of Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei at the St. Francis Xavier Retreat Centre.

He then visited with several elderly people at St. Theresa’s Home, a Catholic care home run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.

The Pope’s last engagement in Singapore was an interreligious encounter at the Catholic Junior College, gathering young people from a host of religions and faith traditions.