Pope Francis arrives in Indonesia, sets record at 87

Indonesia – Pope Francis arrived in Muslim-majority Indonesia on Tuesday, the first stop on his four-nation tour of the Asia-Pacific region, the longest and most distant of the pontiff’s tenure, setting a record for his tours at the age of 87.

The Pope’s plane landed in the capital, Jakarta, early this morning, at the start of a three-day visit aimed at promoting interfaith dialogue, after which he will head to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.

The 12-day trip is an unusual physical challenge for the Argentine pope, who has recently suffered from health problems.

Tuesday is scheduled to be a rest day for the “Supreme Pontiff” in Jakarta after the long trip from Rome, and he will meet President Joko Widodo tomorrow, Wednesday, in the first major stop during his visit to this country.

In Indonesia, there are about 8 million Catholics, representing less than 3% of the population of the country, where Muslims constitute 87% of the population, numbering 242 million, which is the largest number of Muslims in a single country in the world.

New series of stamps to mark Pope’s visit during launch ceremony at Jakarta Cathedral

The Pope’s visit to Jakarta will focus in particular on Islamic-Christian dialogue, as he will meet on Thursday with representatives of the country’s six officially recognized religions at the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia.

He will also sign a joint declaration with the Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque, Nasruddin Omar, on two main themes: “dehumanization” in conflicts and violence against children and women, and environmental protection, said Indonesian Bishops Conference President Antonius Subianto Bunjamin.

The Istiqlal Mosque is located near the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, and in 2020, the authorities built a “friendship tunnel” to connect the two buildings, in a symbol of religious brotherhood. He then leads a mass in a sports stadium that can accommodate about 80,000 people.

This is the Pope’s 45th trip abroad, originally scheduled for 2020, but was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite the strain such a trip would place on his health, medical arrangements have not been altered. Pope Francis is traveling with his doctor and two nurses, the Vatican said.

Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies