In Indonesia, Pope Francis celebrates dialogue with Islam

Slightly leaning over, the imam of Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Umar, 65, holds the microphone for Pope Francis, 87, who is sitting in his wheelchair. Both dressed in white, the spiritual guides are preparing to inaugurate, on Thursday, September 5, in the Indonesian capital, the Fraternity Tunnel, which connects the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption, dating from the beginning of the 20th century^e century, and the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, an elegant stone and metal edifice built in the 1960s, is just across the street. The cathedral bells ring out as the two men sign a joint document calling for action on “the religious instrumentalization of conflicts.” In a speech, the head of the Catholic Church also celebrated the “beautiful spirit of the Indonesian people, [son] interior opening ». Francis has made interreligious dialogue, with Islam in particular, one of the main themes of his pontificate. It finds a particular echo in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world, 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 a 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 said. Catholics represent only 3% of Indonesia’s 277 million people, but this predominantly Muslim country has made respect for religious diversity its state philosophy, the Pancasila, enshrined in the Constitution. The Pope’s visit is an opportunity to promote this Indonesian model, this country with six thousand inhabited islands which, despite its displayed tolerance, must fight daily against extremism in order to maintain a fragile unity.

On Thursday afternoon, the Gelora Bung Karno stadium was not big enough to accommodate all the Catholics who wanted to attend 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. Eagerly awaiting the pontiff’s arrival, two high school students from Medan, in the north of the island of Sumatra, know the limits of this displayed tolerance. “On a daily basis, we don’t have any problems, but when we want to celebrate Easter or Christmas, we have a lot of police officers and volunteers who provide security because we have already had attacks,” explains one of the young men, in a yellow polo shirt marked “Pope Francis 2024”.

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