VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday at the start of the longest trip of his pontificate , hoping to encourage its Catholic community and celebrate the tradition of interfaith harmony in a country with the world’s largest
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday at the start of the longest trip of his pontificate, hoping to encourage its Catholic community and celebrate the tradition of interfaith harmony in a country with the world’s largest Muslim population.
The mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, sits across a piazza from the capital’s main Catholic cathedral, Our Lady of Assumption, and the two are so close to each another that the Muslim call to prayer can be heard during Mass. “We have no problem with the visit. He’s a guest and we will welcome him,” said Eldy, a 64-year-old retired government worker who uses one name and was out walking during a car-free day in Jakarta on Sunday. “He wants to visit our Istiqlal mosque, he can do it.”
“It is a joy for our country, especially for us Catholics,” said Elisabeth Damanik, a 50-year-old housewife outside a packed Mass on Sunday at Our Lady of the Assumption. “Hopefully the pope’s visit can build religious tolerance in our beloved country of Indonesia.” 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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