JAKARTA, Indonesia – Pope Francis arrived in Muslim-majority Indonesia on Tuesday to kick of a four-nation tour of the Asia-Pacific that would be the longest and farthest of the 87-year-old’s papacy. The top of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics touched down in Jakarta for a three-day go to dedicated to inter-religious ties, and can then journey to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
The top of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics touched down in Jakarta for a three-day go to dedicated to inter-religious ties, and can then journey to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
The 12-day tour will check the pontiff’s more and more fragile well being, however he’s usually energized by being amongst his flock and he emerged from the 13-hour flight smiling and waving.
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“I thanks for approaching this journey, thanks for the corporate. I feel it’s the longest one (flight) I’ve performed,” he advised reporters aboard his chartered aircraft after touchdown, in line with an AFP journalist.
He disembarked in Jakarta in a wheelchair to an honour guard, greetings by Indonesian officers, together with the spiritual affairs minister, and a standard bouquet from two kids.
The pontiff was then picked up from the pink carpet by a civilian Toyota automobile, selecting a modest automobile over one in every of luxurious usually utilized by world leaders. He smiled and waved as he left for the Vatican’s diplomatic mission in Jakarta.
The pope was as a result of have a soothing day in Jakarta on Tuesday following the lengthy flight from Rome, then meet President Joko Widodo on Wednesday within the first main set piece of his go to to the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation.
Catholics at the moment characterize fewer than three p.c of the inhabitants of Indonesia — about eight million folks, in contrast with the 87 p.c, or 242 million, who’re Muslim.
However they’re one in every of six formally recognised religions or denominations within the secular nation, together with Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.
On Thursday, Francis will meet representatives of all six at Istiqlal Mosque, the most important in Southeast Asia and a logo of spiritual co-existence.
It’s linked through a “tunnel of friendship” to the cathedral throughout the highway, the place Christians in latest days have been taking selfies with a life-sized cutout of the pope.
He’ll then host a mass and ship a sermon at Indonesia’s 80,000-seater nationwide soccer stadium.
Joint declaration
Regardless of Indonesia’s official recognition of various faiths, there are issues about rising discrimination, together with towards Christians, with native Catholics hoping the pope will communicate out.
However Michel Chambon, a theologian and anthropologist on the Nationwide College of Singapore, stated the pope would press a wider message he had already delivered in different Muslim-majority nations, from Iraq to Bahrain, Turkey and Morocco.
The go to “just isn’t actually aimed toward Catholics in Indonesia” however is meant to spotlight the worldwide significance of Islamic-Christian dialogue, he advised AFP.
That message was already being felt by some in Jakarta.
“When there’s an occasion like this, we get pleasure from it as a result of when it’s our spiritual occasions, they (Catholics) additionally present tolerance to us,” stated Ranggi Prathita, a 34-year-old Muslim who has been promoting customised Pope t-shirts.
“All of us respect one another.”
The nation’s spiritual affairs ministry has additionally hailed the go to as a logo of Indonesia’s spiritual variety.
On the Istiqlal Mosque, Pope Francis will signal a joint declaration with its grand imam that can deal with “dehumanisation”, notably the unfold of violence and battle, in addition to environmental degradation, in line with the Indonesian bishops’ convention.
Francis has repeatedly urged the world to do extra to fight local weather change and mitigate its results — together with rising sea ranges, which threaten Jakarta.
Indonesia has skilled terrorist assaults over latest a long time, together with bombings on the resort island of Bali by Islamist militants in 2002 that left 202 folks lifeless.
Safety has been stepped up for the pope’s go to, with roads round key websites the place he’s scheduled to go to being re-routed or closed.
Fragile well being
His journey to Indonesia is the third ever by a pope and the primary since John Paul II in 1989.
Initially deliberate for 2020 however postponed because of the Covid pandemic, the go to takes place simply three months earlier than his 88th birthday.
The Argentine now routinely makes use of a wheelchair to maneuver round, underwent hernia surgical procedure final 12 months and has been affected by respiratory points.
He has not travelled overseas since visiting Marseille in France in September final 12 months, having cancelled a deliberate handle at United Nations local weather talks in Dubai two months later.
He will likely be travelling to Indonesia along with his private physician and two nurses, however Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni stated that is regular, saying no further precautions have been in place.
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