Pope Francis on Wednesday (4) appealed to political leaders in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, to guard against religious extremism, which he said distorts people’s religious beliefs through “deception and violence.”
In his first speech during an ambitious 12-day trip to Southeast Asia, where Christians are a small minority of the regional population, the pontiff said the Catholic Church would increase its efforts for interfaith dialogue in the hope of helping to curb extremism.
“In this way, prejudices can be eliminated and a climate of mutual respect and trust can grow,” the 87-year-old pope said in a speech to some 300 politicians and religious leaders at the Merdeka Presidential Palace in Jakarta.
“This is essential to face common challenges, including that of combating extremism and intolerance, which through the distortion of religion try to impose their points of view using deception and violence,” said Francis.
Indonesia has a population of around 280 million people, and it is estimated that around 87% are Muslim. Freedom of religion is guaranteed in the country’s constitution.
There have been several incidents of extremist violence in the country in recent years, including suicide bombings in 2021 and 2022 by people affiliated with the Islamic State-inspired Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) group.
The 2021 incident occurred just before the Christian holiday of Easter and at least 19 people were injured.
In his own speech welcoming the Pope to Indonesia, President Joko Widodo thanked Francis for his efforts to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.
“Indonesia appreciates the attitude of the Vatican, which continues to express (and) call for peace in Palestine and supports a two-state solution,” said Widodo, who will step down in October after 10 years in office.
Francis was greeted by a crowd waving small Vatican and Indonesian flags as his car arrived at the presidential palace.
Dorothea Dawai, a 10-year-old schoolgirl, was among the group who greeted the pope. Wearing a green kebaya, a traditional Indonesian dress, she said she hoped to ask for a blessing.
The pontiff, who suffers from knee and back pain, was sitting in a wheelchair as he got out of his car and met the president outside the building.
The two leaders were greeted by an honor guard that played the Indonesian and Vatican anthems before heading inside for a private meeting.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters that Francis and Widodo did not speak specifically about the Israel-Gaza war in their meeting, but more generally about ongoing conflicts and “the importance of peace.”
In his public remarks, Francis did not mention any specific violent incidents, but made several references to extremism, intolerance and the manipulation of religion.
“There are times when faith in God is… unfortunately manipulated to foment divisions and increase hatred, instead of promoting peace, communion, dialogue, respect, cooperation and fraternity,” the pontiff said.
Francis’ speech came on the first working day of his trip to Southeast Asia and the Pacific, which will also include stops in Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
The pope is expected to travel around 33,000 kilometres over the 12-day trip before returning to Rome on September 13.
Later on Wednesday, Francis is expected to meet with Indonesia’s Catholic bishops at Jakarta’s cathedral. On Thursday (5), he will participate in an inter-religious meeting at the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia.
This content was originally published in Pope Francis warns against religious extremism on trip to Indonesia on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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