Clik here to view.
Source: Oscar Siagian / Getty
The Holy Father is on the move! Pope Francis kicked off a tour of Asia and Oceania this week starting in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim country, speaking on the importance of religious diversity and creating a dialogue between Christians and Muslims in the island nation.
“In order to foster a peaceful and fruitful harmony that ensures peace and unites efforts to remove the imbalances and suffering that still persist in some areas of the country, the Church desires to increase interreligious dialogue,” Pope Francis said in his opening speech on September 4.
SEE ALSO: 7 Must-See Religious Sites From Around The World
The pontiff is on this tour to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s commitment to religious harmony world-wide. The 87-year-old pope was pushed in a wheelchair to the palace entrance where he was received by President Joko Widodo and saluted by an honor guard dressed in red and white. The president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, was also present. Pope Francis spoke to an audience of local authorities, civil society representatives, and members of the diplomatic corps at the Merdeka Palace where he praised Indonesia’s accomplishment in maintaining religious harmony and preserving human rights.
“Your national motto ‘Bhinneka tunggal ika’ [translated: ‘United in Diversity’] captures well this multifaceted reality of diverse peoples firmly united in one nation,” Francis said.
The Indonesian government officially recognizes six religions: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Catholicism, and Protestantism. Eighty-seven percent of the population of the archipelago’s 17,000 islands practices Islam. The Catholic community, which only makes up three percent of the population although the number of believers in Asia, as a whole is rising in stark contrast to those abandoning the faith in Europe and the Americas.
SEE ALSO: Black Muslim Leadership Council Hopes To Empower Black Muslims To Take Political Action
Pope Francis will visit four countries in Southeast Asia and Oceania over 11 days. By the time trip’s over on Sept. 13, Francis will have flown over 20,000 miles to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. This visit to Indonesia marks the first time in over 30 years that the country was visited by a sitting pope, emphasizing the value the Catholic church places on the Asian population.
“This wise and delicate balance, between the multiplicity of cultures and different ideological visions, and the ideals that cement unity, must be continuously defended against imbalances,” Francis said.
Despite the Pope’s praise and prayers, things haven’t been completely harmonious in Indonesia. Amnesty International has noted that from January 2021 to July 2024, there were at least 123 cases of intolerance, including rejection, closure or destruction of places of worship and physical attacks in Indonesia perpetrated by community members, residents, and even government officials of various backgrounds.
“The pope’s visit has an important role to play in encouraging Indonesia to end intolerance and discrimination against all minority groups. Freedom of religion is a right protected by the Indonesian Constitution,” Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, told AP News with hopes that the Pope’s visit will end acts of intolerance and violence.
SEE ALSO: Hampton University Announces New School Of Religion
“The Catholic Church is at the service of the common good…therefore I encourage the formation of a more balanced social fabric and ensure a more efficient and equitable distribution of social assistance,” Francis said during his visit. Quoting the former pope, St. John Paul II, Francis prayed for the continuing push toward amity and growth. “‘In acknowledging the presence of legitimate diversity, in respecting the human and political rights of all citizens, and in encouraging the growth of national unity based on tolerance and respect for others, you lay the foundations for that just and peaceful society, which all Indonesians wish for themselves and long to bequeath to their children.’”
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The post Pope Francis Promotes Religious Unity in Historic Visit to World’s Largest Muslim Nation appeared first on Elev8.
The post Pope Francis Promotes Religious Unity in Historic Visit to World’s Largest Muslim Nation appeared first on Get Up! Mornings With Erica Campbell.