Interreligious dialogue is one of the main themes of this three-day visit to Indonesiawhich includes a meeting on Thursday with representatives of the six officially recognized faiths in the country.
This dialogue is “essential to face common challenges, including the fight against extremism and intolerance, which, by distorting religion, try to impose themselves through deception and violence,” he said. Francisco in a speech at the presidential palace.
In good shape and smiling, the Argentine Pope was received at the palace Merdeka by the pOutgoing Indonesian Resident Joko Widodo with whom he spoke privately.
Indonesia has been fighting Islamist extremism for decades, culminating in the attacks on the Bali Island of 2002 that killed 202 people.
Pope calls for Indonesia to fight against “extremism and intolerance”
He Dad He also spoke about the international situation, saying that violent conflicts are often “the result (…) of making one’s interests, position or partial historical narrative prevail at all costs, even when this entails endless suffering for entire communities and results in real bloody wars.”
“Freedom and tolerance, this is what Indonesia and the Vatican want to spread,” he replied. Widodo.
Hundreds of children and young people in traditional costumes and Indonesian and international flags Vatican They received Franciscowho also witnessed a military parade and listened to the anthems of both countries.
The same fervour was felt in the afternoon in the cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumptionwhere the leader of the 1.3 billion Catholics encouraged local clergy to “fraternity,” inviting them to remain “open and friendly to all.”
The visit of the Dad He recalled that “we are not only close to the Indonesian people but also to other religions,” he said. Carolinea 45-year-old nun from the Sisters of Charity of Sumatra.
After 13 hours of flight on Tuesday, FranciscoThe wheelchair-bound athlete took a half-day off, but did not appear to be suffering from jet lag or the humid heat in the Indonesian capital.
Francis is the third Pope to visit Indonesia
On Wednesday, he also spoke about the birth rate. “In your country, people have three, four or five children, it is an example for all countries, while some prefer to have only a cat or a small dog. This cannot go well,” he said. Franciscoto which Widodo he replied with a smile.
Indonesiaan archipelago of 17,500 islands, is home to the world’s largest Muslim population (242 million, or 87% of the population) and has around eight million Catholics (less than 3%). Francis is the third pontiff to visit the country, after Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1989.
During the day Jorge Bergoglio He met privately with members of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuit order, to which he belongs) at the apostolic nunciature of the Holy Seethe embassy of Vaticanas he always does on his trips abroad.
On Wednesday the day will end with a meeting with young people from the Scholas Occurrentes network, an educational movement originally intended to help children from disadvantaged areas of Buenos Aires.
His marathon tour of four Southeast Asian countries and Oceania (Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore) It was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He is scheduled to arrive on Friday. Papua New GuineaHe will then travel to East Timor and finish in Singapore, where on September 13 he will have completed a 32,000 km journey, the longest since he was elected pope in 2013.
This trip, his 45th abroad, represents a physical challenge for the Argentine Jesuit, who has suffered numerous health problems in recent years.
Source: Ambito
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