JAKARTA: Pope Francis arrived in Muslim-majority Indonesia on Tuesday ( Sep 3 ) to kick off a four-nation tour of the Asia-Pacific that will be the longest and farthest of the 87-year-old’s papacy.
The mind of the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics touched down in Jakarta for a three-day explore devoted to inter-religious relationships, and will then go to Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Singapore.
The cleric’s increasingly fragile health will be tested during the 12-day trip, but he is frequently energised by being among his sheep and has recently appeared in excellent spirits.
Following a lengthy journey from Rome on Tuesday, the pope was scheduled to spend a relaxing evening in Jakarta, where he would meet with President Joko Widodo, on Wednesday in the first major set part of his browse to the country with the highest Muslim population.
Christians now represent fewer than 3 per share of the people of Indonesia- about eight million individuals, compared with the 87 per share, or 242 million, who are Muslim.
But they are one of six formally recognised religions or churches in the liberal society, including Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.
On Thursday, Pope Francis did meet members of all six at Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia and a symbol of spiritual co-existence.
It is connected to the church across the route via a “tunnel of companionship,” where Christians have recently been taking selfies with a life-sized replica of the pope.
He will next network a mass and give a lecture at Indonesia’s 80, 000-seater national soccer stadium.
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Despite Indonesia’s formal acknowledgment of various beliefs, there are concerns about growing discrimination, including against Christians, with regional Catholics hoping the bishop will speak out.
But Michel Chambon, a scholar and archaeologist at the National University of Singapore, said the pope had hit a wider message he had now delivered in another Muslim-majority countries, from Iraq to Bahrain, Turkey and Morocco.
The visit “is not definitely aimed at Catholics in Indonesia” but is intended to highlight the world value of Islamic-Christian speech, he told AFP.
Some in Jakarta now felt the impact of that message.
” When there’s an event like this, we enjoy it because when it’s our religious events, they ( Catholics ) also show tolerance to us”, said Ranggi Prathita, a 34-year-old Muslim who has been selling customised Pope t-shirts.
” We all value each another”.