JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Pope Francis on Wednesday called on Indonesia to fulfill his pledge of “harmony in diversity” and combat religious intolerance, as he set a strict pace for an 11-day, four-country trip through tropical Southeast Asia and Oceania, which will test his stamina and health.
Francis had a busy first full day in Indonesia, meeting with departing Chairman Joko Widodo and other Indonesian officials at the presidential palace and then in the afternoon greeted Catholic priests, nuns and seminarians at Jakarta’s main cathedral.
Guns roared as Francis joined Widodo on the palace porch, along with President-elect Prabowo Subianto. A marching band, stiff-legged troops and children in traditional Indonesian dress welcomed the first pope to visit in 35 years.
In his remarks to Indonesian authorities, Francis compared the country’s human diversity to the archipelago’s 17,000 islands, saying each island contributes something specific to form “a magnificent mosaic, in which each tile is an irreplaceable element in the creation of a great original and precious work.”
And yet Francis warned that such diversity could also become a source of conflict. It was an apparent reference to episodes of intolerance that have flared up in Indonesia in recent years, but also to broader concerns about conflicts raging around the world.
“This wise and delicate balance, between the plurality of cultures and different ideological visions, and the ideals that cement unity, must be constantly defended against imbalances,” Francis said. Political leaders, he said, had a specific role to play, but he also assured Widodo of the Catholic Church’s commitment to increasing interfaith dialogue.
“This is indispensable to address common challenges, including the fight against extremism and intolerance, which, through religious distortion, seek to impose their views through deception and violence.”
Regionally, Myanmar’s internal conflict has forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, where thousands have left overcrowded, violent camps to flee to countries including Indonesia. Francis met at least one Rohingya refugee upon arriving at the Vatican residence on Tuesday in a show of support for welcoming, not refusing, refugees.
Further afield, Indonesia has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinians and the government has frequently condemned Israel’s war in Gaza. Widodo thanked Francis for the Vatican’s support for the Palestinians since the war began.
“War will not benefit anyone, war will only bring suffering and misery to ordinary people,” Widodo said. “So let us celebrate the differences we have. Let us accept each other and strengthen tolerance to realize peace, to realize a better world for all humanity.”
Francis arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday to embark on the longest, furthest and most difficult journey of his pontificate, given his numerous health problems. At 87, he uses a wheelchair, suffers from frequent bronchitis and has undergone multiple operations for intestinal problems.
By the end of the trip on September 13, Francis will have flown 32,814 kilometers (20,390 miles) to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. It will be one of the longest papal trips ever in terms of days en route and distance traveled.
Francis appeared in good form and spirit on Wednesday, even as he stood at length to greet the Indonesian government delegation and listen to the two countries’ national anthems. He improvised a joke during his official remarks that drew laughter from Widodo and the audience, praising Indonesia’s relatively high birth rate and lamenting that in the West “some prefer a cat or a small dog.”
However, Francis’ prepared remarks were shorter than usual, probably to save him the effort of a long conversation.
In Indonesia, Francis is trying to support the Catholic community, which makes up just 3% of the population of about 275 million, while also hoping to strengthen ties with the country, which has the largest Muslim population.
The highlight of Francis’ first stop will be his participation in an interfaith gathering on Thursday in the iconic capital of Jakarta. Istiqlal Mosque with representatives of the six religions officially recognized in Indonesia: Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Catholicism and Protestantism.
While Francis wants to emphasize Indonesia’s tradition of religious tolerance, the country’s image as a moderate Muslim nation has been undermined by flare-ups of intolerance. In 2021, a militant Muslim couple blew themselves up outside a crowded Catholic cathedral on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi during a Palm Sunday mass, injuring at least 20 people.
Amnesty International said it hoped Francis’ visit would put an end to intolerance and discrimination against minority groups and effectively promote respect for religious freedom, which is enshrined in the country’s constitution.
Amnesty noted in a statement that from January 2021 to July 2024, there were at least 123 incidents of intolerance, including rejection, closure or destruction of places of worship and physical attacks. The perpetrators were said to come from a variety of backgrounds, including government officials, residents and civil society organizations.
“The Pope’s visit plays an important role in encouraging Indonesia to end intolerance and discrimination against all minority groups. Freedom of religion is a right protected by the Indonesian Constitution,” said Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia.
In the afternoon, Francis meets Indonesian clergy and nuns at Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral in Jakarta for his traditional pep talk to the local church. Indonesia is home to the world’s largest Catholic seminary and has long been a top source of priests and nuns for the Catholic Church, although their numbers today do not keep pace with the growth of the total Catholic population.
Asia and Africa have long been seen as the future of the Catholic Church. The number of baptized believers and men and women choosing to become priests or nuns is growing. In old Catholic strongholds such as Europe and America, however, their numbers are declining.
Indonesia cannot compete with India or the predominantly Catholic Philippines in terms of the total number of baptized Catholics or priests. However, the number of men who want to become priests is still growing here. The number of seminarians in Asia has stabilized or even declined in recent years.
According to Vatican statistics as of December 31, 2022, the latest year for which data is available, there were 5,903 Catholic priests in Indonesia for a population of 8.29 million Catholics. Indonesia had 4,024 seminarians in 2022 compared to 3,777 in 2017.
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