On his visit to Indonesia, Pope Francis, the head priest of the world Catholic Christians, is visiting the largest mosque in Southeast Asia "Istiklal" and meeting with the leaders of different religions. He will emphasize on protecting religious harmony in the meeting.
On the same day, Pope Francis will attend a gathering of thousands of people at a football stadium in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia.
The Pope is on a three-day visit to Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. He will visit the historic Istiklal Mosque in the morning and attend an interfaith gathering at the football stadium in the afternoon. He started a long tour of some countries in the Asia-Pacific region by going to Indonesia.
Self-interest plays a major role in creating conflicts among people around the world. When every ethnic group and religious community works in the spirit of brotherhood, it is possible to achieve a bond of harmony among diverse people.
Pope Francis, Catholic Christian priest
In these programs, the Pope will call for unity among people of different religions in his speech. He has already warned that personal interests are playing a major role in creating conflicts among people around the world.
Leaders of six Indonesian religions are scheduled to meet with the Pope at Istiklal Mosque this morning.
The tunnel connecting the Istiklal Mosque with the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption is 28.3 meters long. The tunnel was built by the Indonesian government in 2020 as a symbol of religious harmony.
Meanwhile, the Pope said, the Church is willing to strengthen interreligious dialogue in order to accelerate the bonds of peaceful and fruitful harmony to ensure world peace. He further said that when every ethnic group and religious community works in the spirit of brotherhood, it is possible to achieve the bond of harmony among the diverse people.
According to information from the Indonesian Bishops' Conference, Pope Francis will sign a joint declaration with the chief imam of Istiklal Mosque during the visit. The declaration will include issues such as protection of the environment and 'dehumanisation' caused by conflict.
The main theme of Francis' visit to the Asia-Pacific countries is interfaith relations. He has previously visited many Muslim majority countries. During his visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2019, the Pope signed a document on human brotherhood with the Chief Imam of Al Azhar.
Visiting the historic Istiklal Mosque this morning and attending an interfaith gathering at Jakarta's football stadium in the afternoon are the two main events of the Pope's visit to Indonesia. He started a long tour of several countries in the Asia-Pacific region by going to Indonesia.
The Pope's biggest event on his visit to Indonesia will be his address to a mass in the country's main football stadium in the afternoon. Around 80,000 people are expected to attend the rally. Thousands of people are expected outside the stadium as well.
In the meantime, many people from different parts of Indonesia have left for the gathering place in view of this event.
A little over three percent of Indonesia's total population is Christian; Which is about 80 lakhs in number. On the other hand, the number of Muslims in the country is 87 percent or 24 crore 2 million.
The Southeast Asian country is home to six locally recognized religions. Apart from Catholics and Muslims, Protestants, Buddhists, Hindus and Confucianists live in the country.
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