Pope calls on Indonesia to keep its promise of “harmony in diversity”

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Pope Francis urged Indonesia on Wednesday to fulfill its promise of “harmony in diversity” and combat religious intolerance, while setting a rigorous pace for an 11-day trip through four countries in tropical Southeast Asia and Oceania that will test his stamina and health.

Despite the busy travel schedule, Francis' first day in Indonesia was packed with activities, with energy and laughter, including meeting with outgoing President Joko Widodo and other Indonesian officials at the presidential palace and greeting Catholic priests, nuns and seminarians at Jakarta's main cathedral in the afternoon.

Cannon fire roared as Francis appeared on the palace veranda with Widodo and President-elect Prabowo Subianto. A brass band, stiff-legged soldiers and children in traditional Indonesian dress welcomed the first papal visit in 35 years.

In his remarks to officials, Francis compared Indonesia's human diversity to the archipelago's 17,000 islands, saying each one contributes something special to form “a magnificent mosaic in which each tile is an irreplaceable element in the creation of a great, original and valuable work.”

And yet Francis warned that such diversity could also become a source of conflict in a country with the world's largest Muslim population – an obvious reference to episodes of intolerance that have flared up in Indonesia in recent years, as well as a broader concern about conflict raging around the world.

“This wise and delicate balance between the diversity of cultures and different ideological visions and the ideals that consolidate unity must be constantly defended against imbalances,” Francis said. Political leaders have a special role to play in this, but Widodo also assured that the Catholic Church will work for increased interreligious dialogue.

“This is essential to address common challenges, including combating extremism and intolerance that distort religion and seek to impose their views through deception and violence,” he said.

Regionally, internal conflict in Myanmar has forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, from where thousands have fled overcrowded, violent camps to countries such as Indonesia. Indonesia, on the other hand, has regularly condemned Israel's war against the militant Hamas group in Gaza, and Widodo thanked Francis for the Vatican's support for Palestinian civilians.

“War benefits no one, war only brings suffering and misery to 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 of humanity.”

On Tuesday, Francis arrived in Jakarta to begin the longest, furthest and most difficult journey of his pontificate, as he struggles with myriad health problems. At 87, he is wheelchair-bound, suffers regular bouts of bronchitis and has undergone several surgeries for intestinal problems.

By the end of the trip on September 13, Francis will have flown 32,814 kilometers and visited Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore – one of the longest papal trips ever in terms of the number of days of travel and the distances covered.

Francis made a good impression on Wednesday, displaying his trademark sense of humor even as he stood for long periods and transferred several times from a wheelchair to chairs and a car.

His dry humor never waned: to Widodo and Indonesian dignitaries, he praised Indonesia's relatively high birth rate, but lamented that in the West “some people prefer a cat or a small dog.” At a private meeting with his Jesuit brothers, he ended by quipping: “The police have come to pick me up.” He warned priests and nuns against greed, saying: “The devil comes through your pockets.”

However, Francis' prepared remarks were shorter than usual, presumably to save him the effort of long speaking times.

In the afternoon, Francis met with Indonesian clergy and nuns at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Jakarta for his traditional motivational speech to the local church.

Although only three percent of Indonesia's 275 million people are Catholic, the country is home to the largest Catholic seminary in the world and has long been a major source of priests and nuns for the Catholic Church.

In his address to the priests, nuns and lay church representatives, Francis further stressed the importance of promoting greater fraternity between people of different faiths and cultures.

“This is important because proclaiming the Gospel does not mean imposing our faith or opposing it to others, but giving and sharing the joy of encountering Christ, always with great respect and fraternal affection for everyone,” he said.

Sister Rina Rosalina was chosen to address the Pope and offered constructive criticism of the excessive time the Vatican takes to approve translations of its official texts into Indonesian.

“Holy Father, we always try to learn from you. Unfortunately, due to distance and language barriers, we sometimes have difficulty studying the documents issued from Rome,” she said, earning a knowing nod from the Pope.

Several hundred well-wishers gathered outside the cathedral to greet the pope, including at least one boy dressed as a little pope. They waved the flags of Indonesia and the Holy See, and children played traditional bamboo instruments.

The location of the cathedral is symbolic of Indonesia's quest for harmony between religions and cultures: it is located opposite the country's main Istiqlal Mosque and is connected to it by an underground “tunnel of friendship”, which Francis will visit on Thursday with the mosque's grand imam.

While Francis seeks 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 couple blew themselves up outside a packed Catholic cathedral on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi during a Palm Sunday mass, injuring at least 20 people.

Amnesty International expressed the hope that Francis' visit would help end intolerance and discrimination against minority groups and promote respect for religious freedom, which is enshrined in the country's constitution.

In a statement, Amnesty noted that there had been at least 123 cases of intolerance between January 2021 and July 2024, including rejection, closure or destruction of places of worship and physical attacks.

“The Pope’s visit plays an important role in encouraging Indonesia to end intolerance and discrimination against all minority groups,” said Usman Hamid, Executive Director of Amnesty International Indonesia.

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