Why Is the Pope Visiting Thailand?

On September 13, it was publicly announced that Pope Francis would make a visit to Thailand in November. The visit, which would be the first by a sitting Pope to the Buddhist-majority Southeast Asian state in nearly four decades, will spotlight both the historical relationship between Thailand and the Vatican and the evolution of contemporary ties between the two sides amid wider regional and international developments.

Thailand is a Buddhist-majority country with a small Christian population. There are around 389,000 Catholics in Thailand, according to the Catholic Church, composing less than 1 percent of Thailand’s population of 69 million. But the Catholic Church’s involvement in Thailand dates back centuries. For instance, following decades of Catholic missionaries arriving in Thailand, Mission de Siam was founded in 1669 to support evangelization efforts in Thailand and other parts of Asia – a landmark development in the Church’s activities in the region.

Over time, the Catholic Church has continued to spotlight Thailand as a key country to cultivate in Asia. During Pope John Paul II’s visit to Thailand in 1984, which was the last papal visit to Thailand, his trip included an audience with the king and queen of Thailand.

2019 marks a special year in the Catholic Church’s relationship with Thailand – the 350th anniversary of the founding of the aforementioned Mission de Siam. In May, Cardinal Fernando Filoni, a top Vatican official, visited Thailand to celebrate the anniversary. He delivered a celebratory message from Pope Francis addressed to Thailand’s Catholics. At that time, he also visited several parts of the country including Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya – often considered to be the first home for Catholicism in Thailand before it spread to other parts of the country.

In mid-September, the link between Thailand and the Vatican as well as Christianity more generally was in the headlines again with the news that Pope Francis would make a visit to Thailand in November. The three-day visit will come ahead of an already announced trip to Japan.

Per a video press conference by Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand (CBCT) President Cardinal Francis-Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij held simultaneously by the CBCT in Bangkok, Vatican City, and Tokyo, Francis’s visit will last from November 20 to 23. While the official program is expected to be released closer to the visit, per the CBCT, the agenda is expected to include two public Holy Masses – one for Thai Catholics and one for Catholic youth – visits to Catholic communities in Thailand, and meetings with Catholic leaders in Thailand.

Thailand’s inclusion as part of Pope Francis’ itinerary comes as no surprise. Generally, Pope Francis’s travels in Asia have included not only Christian-majority countries like the Philippines, but also Buddhist-majority states such as Sri Lanka and Myanmar. In Sri Lanka and Myanmar, his visits have highlighted remaining challenges for intercommunal relations, with the former recovering from a civil war and the latter under scrutiny for its treatment of Rohingya Muslims. More specifically, given the commemoration of the anniversary of the Church’s role in Thailand this year, the timing of the voyage makes sense as well.

While the Thailand leg of Pope Francis’ trip is likely to be in the shadow of the Japan stop – particularly since the other leg will include a strong statement against nuclear weapons with visits to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where nuclear bombs were dropped in August 1945 – suggestions so far are that the visit to Thailand is expected to signal his role in promoting peace and intercultural understanding. The Pope is also expected to reunite with his second cousin, Sister Ana Rosa Sivori, who runs a Catholic girls’ school in Thailand. The meeting will personalize the connection between Catholicism and Thailand.

Apart from the trip’s official agenda and significance, it will also be watched closely within the broader context in Thailand itself. The country continues to navigate through a political transition since the coup in May 2014, now with a new king as well as a new government following elections earlier this year. The trip will also further increase the international spotlight on Thailand during an already busy year for its foreign policy. The country holds the annually rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for 2019. While the Pope is not expected to wade directly into domestic or foreign policy issues in the country, any interactions with the Thai government – which have not been officially confirmed as part of the trip as yet – or comments on the general situation about developments for the country at home or abroad can be expected to be closely scrutinized.

To be sure, the full impact of Pope Francis’s expected trip to Thailand in November will only be understood once it occurs and the dust settles. Nonetheless, as more details get released in the coming weeks, it bears close watching within the context of the Pope’s broader messaging, the historical links between Thailand and the Catholic Church, and the ongoing political context in Thailand itself.