The pope's arrival in Indonesia launches an 11-day voyage zigzagging across time zones that will also take him to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
Pope Francis, seated in his wheelchair is welcomed as Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, center left, walks during an official welcoming ceremony at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024.
His first full day of activities begins Wednesday with visits to the country’s political leaders and meetings with Indonesian clergy who are helping to fuel the growth of the Catholic Church in Asia.Indonesian President Joko Widodo welcomed the pope, saying in a broadcast statement that “Indonesia and the Vatican have the same commitment to fostering peace and brotherhood, as well as ensuring the welfare of humanity.
While Francis will want to highlight 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 Islamic coupleoutside a packed Catholic cathedral on Indonesia’s Sulawesi island during a Palm Sunday Mass, injuring at least 20 people.
As a result, thousands are expected to throng to Francis’ events this week, which include a Mass on Thursday afternoon at Jakarta’s main stadium expected to draw some 60,000 people. City authorities have urged residents to work from home that day given roadblocks and crowds. In Jakarta, he will find a metropolis of 11.3 million people choking under gray clouds of air pollution caused by coal-fired power plants, vehicle exhaust, trash burning and factories. Jakarta’s air pollution regularly registers eight to nine times above World Health Organization limits.
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