Royal Australian Air Force pilot Jacob Ralph is used to flying prime ministers and world leaders on his planes, but now he can add Pope Francis to his list. Source: The Catholic Weekly.
Last month, the RAAF’s 37 Squadron and 3 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron flew a special mission to take the Pope to remote areas of Papua New Guinea as part of his Apostolic Visitation to Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Squadron Leader Ralph led a team of 26 pilots, maintainers, doctors and medical staff to fly the Pope, alongside 40 members of the Papal delegation, on two C-130J military aircrafts.
From Port Moresby Airport, the Pope, with his wheelchair, Popemobile and team were in the RAAF’s care for a two-hour transit to Vanimo, near the border of Indonesia.
“We all had a joke saying, ‘If anything happens or goes wrong, there’ll be some divine intervention on our side,’” Squadron Leader Ralph said.
“I experienced firsthand how much of an effort he’s making to really connect to the isolated communities, the crowds that came to see him blew me away by the efforts people will go to be in the presence of His Holiness.”
The Squadron Leader presented the Pope with a commemorative plaque made from the aircraft’s frame material, engraved with the RAAF motto, Per Ardua Ad Astra – “through struggle, to the stars.”
His Holiness returned the favour by gifting each crew member one of his commemorative papal coins from the trip.
“He really wanted to give us all a few minutes to talk to him one on one and tell him a bit about our lives and backgrounds, which he was really interested in,” Squadron Leader Ralph said.
Though not Catholic, Squadron Leader Ralph said since the trip he has gained a new appreciation for Pope Francis and the Catholic faith.
“I’ve certainly taken more of an interest in the Catholic Church since then, just doing a little bit of research and background,” he said.
“The messaging that he’s bringing is overwhelmingly positive and having a very profound effect on people.”
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RAAF Squadron Leader who flew the Pope in Asia: “One-in-a-lifetime experience” (By George Al-Akiki, The Catholic Weekly)
