Slightly bent over, the imam of Jakarta’s Istiqlal mosque, Nasaruddin Umar, 65, holds the microphone for Pope Francis, 87, seated in his wheelchair. Both dressed in white, the spiritual guides are preparing to inaugurate, on Thursday, September 5, in the Indonesian capital, the Brotherhood Tunnel, which connects the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, dating back to the early 20th century.my century, and Southeast Asia’s largest mosque, an elegant stone and metal building built in the 1960s, just opposite. The cathedral’s bells ring as the two men sign a joint document calling for action in front of “The religious instrumentalization of conflicts.” In a speech, the head of the Catholic Church also celebrates “Beautiful mood of the Indonesian people, [son] interior opening »Francis has made interreligious dialogue, particularly with Islam, one of the main themes of his pontificate. It finds particular resonance in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, which professes a tolerant Islam, the first stop on the pontiff’s tour of Southeast Asia.
In the afternoon, just before a giant mass in a stadium in central Jakarta, a video message from Indonesian President Joko Widodo is broadcast on the big screen: “Catholics in Indonesia are an important part of this nation, they maintain the unity of the country, sharing love and tolerance with members of other religions in Indonesia”the head of state declares. Catholics represent only 3% of Indonesia’s 277 million people, but this predominantly Muslim country has made respect for religious diversity its state philosophy. Pancasila, enshrined in the Constitution. The Pope’s arrival is an opportunity to promote this Indonesian model, this country of six thousand inhabited islands which, despite its demonstrated tolerance, must fight daily against extremism in order to maintain a fragile unity.
On Thursday evening, the Gelora-Bung-Karno stadium was not big enough to accommodate all the Catholics who wanted to take part in the Pope’s mass. A smaller adjacent stadium had to be equipped with giant screens to accommodate a total of more than 100,000 people. Impatiently awaiting the arrival of the pontiff, two high school students from Medan, in the north of the island of Sumatra, know the limits of this displayed tolerance. “We don’t have any problems on a daily basis, but when we want to celebrate Easter or Christmas, we have a lot of police officers and volunteers providing security because we have had attacks before.” explains one of the young men, wearing a yellow polo shirt marked “Pope Francis 2024”.
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