SINGAPORE — Pope Francis met with Nasaruddin Umar, the grand imam of Southeast Asia’s largest mosque, on Thursday, in a meeting in Indonesia centered on fighting climate change and religious extremism.
The pair signed a joint declaration at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, symbolizing the pope’s push to promote religious harmony during his visit to Muslim-majority Indonesia.
Francis called the mosque a “great gift” and told people from other faiths that “we are all brothers and sisters, all pilgrims, all on our way to God, beyond what differentiates us.”
The joint declaration also called on Catholics and Muslims to unite to push global leaders into action on climate change.
Francis described the “environmental crisis” as “an obstacle to the growth and co-existence of peoples."
Indonesia is the first stop on the pope’s 11-day, four-nation Asia Pacific tour.
Home to the world’s largest Muslim population, the Indonesian government officially recognizes six faiths: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Hinduism.
While freedom of religion is enshrined in the country's constitution, there have been incidents of religious intolerance.
“We live a happy Catholic life in Indonesia, but there is sometimes discrimination when we go out to Mass and go to pray,” said Saddam Husein Pareto, an Indonesian Catholic who lives on the border with East Timor.
Catholics make up around 3% of Indonesia’s population.
During a tour of the Istiqlal Mosque, Francis was shown the Tunnel of Friendship, which connects to a nearby cathedral. The pope praised the underpass as a symbol of how religions can live side by side.
“He [Francis] actually wants some deep, meaningful engagement,” said Joel Hodge, a lecturer in theology at the Australian Catholic University.
“He’s prioritized that, particularly with the Islamic world, because of how large it is and how important it is within the global context,” Hodge said.
Francis will leave Indonesia on Friday, heading to Papua Guinea on the next leg of the tour. He will also stop in East Timor and Singapore.
It’s the longest amount of time that Francis, 87, has ever spent away from the Vatican and marks his first overseas trip of the year. The duration and scale of the tour has surprised some given his recent health issues.
“It's a long distance for a Pope who's quite frail. He's 87 and he's not in the best of health,” said Hodge. “He's making a real statement here about the importance of Asia to the Church.”
Francis has visited the region on a number of occasions, embarking on trips to countries including Japan, South Korea and Mongolia.
“Part of Pope Francis’ vision is to make the shift to really emphasize the global nature of the church, and have the church think more globally, not just in a European way,” said Hodge.
The pull of the pontiff has been on full display in Indonesia, with huge crowds lining the streets ahead of every engagement.
Dionisius Windarto, an Indonesian Catholic, said he received messages from friends who were “excited to see what the pope looks like and what he wants to say about Indonesia.”
The pope has also shunned luxuries during his time in the Southeast Asian country. He flew to Jakarta on a commercial flight and is staying in the Vatican’s Embassy in Jakarta, rather than a plush hotel.
“It’s quite a contradiction with our current leaders,” said Windarto.
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