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

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. With half of East Timor’s population gathered at a seaside park, Francis couldn’t help but oblige them with a final good night and languid loops in his popemobile, long after the sun had set and the field was lit by cellphone screens. “How many children you have!” Francis marveled to the crowd of 600,000, which amounted to the biggest-ever turnout for a papal event as a proportion of the population.