Pope Francis makes a historic visit to Indonesia after 30 years
Pope Francis begins his two-week tour of the Asia-Pacific region with a visit to Indonesia, where he will hold interreligious meetings and celebrate Mass for 80,000 believers.
Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church, has arrived in Indonesia as part of his first visit in 30 years. The visit is part of his two-week tour of the Asia-Pacific region, which also includes visits to Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. This was reported on the website of the Holy See.
The Pope's visit to Indonesia began on Tuesday in the country's capital, Jakarta. During his stay, Francis visited one of the largest mosques in the world—Istiqal Mosque, as well as the Tunnel of Friendship, a symbol of interreligious harmony that connects the mosque with the Catholic cathedral of Jakarta.
In addition, Pope Francis will meet with the country's chief imam, Nasaruddin Umar, to discuss issues of interreligious dialogue.
An important part of the visit will be an interfaith meeting, attended by representatives of all six officially recognized religions of Indonesia.
At the end of the day, the Pope will celebrate Mass for 80,000 believers at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.
This event is historic as the Pope is visiting Indonesia for the first time since 1989. It is believed that the visit is aimed at strengthening interreligious ties in the country, where Muslims make up 87% of the population, and Catholics only about 3%.
It is worth noting that during his visit to Indonesia in 1989, Pope John Paul II mentioned that his meeting with the country's bishops was profound and meaningful.
He acknowledged that the pre-prepared text of his speech did not fully reflect what he experienced and learned during his stay in Indonesia. The Pope emphasized the need for personal experience to understand the real situation in the country and the Church.
He expressed hope that this visit would help deepen mutual understanding and strengthen the unity of the Church, adding that the Indonesian Church could bring new strength and life to the universal Church.