Pope and Imam of Southeast Asia's largest mosque jointly call for combating violence and protecting the planet

JAKARTA, 5 September 2024 (WAM) — Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Southeast Asia's largest mosque vowed on Thursday to combat sectarian violence and protect the environment, and made a joint call for interfaith friendship and common cause at the heart of Francis' visit to Indonesia, the Associated Press reported.

In an encounter full of symbolic meaning and a personal touch, Francis traveled to the famous Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta for an interfaith meeting.

There he and Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar stood at the ground-level entrance to the “Tunnel of Friendship,” an underpass that connects the mosque complex with the neighboring Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption.

Indonesia, the country with the world's largest Muslim population, sees the tunnel as a tangible sign of its commitment to constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom.

Pope Francis traveled to Indonesia at the start of an eleven-day trip through four countries in Asia and Oceania.