Pope Francis (R) kisses the hand of the Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque Nasaruddin Umar during a meeting with other religious leaders at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta. Photograph: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images
‘Togetherness in our diversity’: Pope Francis preaches unity at south-east Asia’s largest mosque
Pope met the grand imam and representatives from Indonesia’s six officially recognised religions at Jakarta’s Istiqlal mosque
Ahmad Pathoni in JakartaThu 5 Sep 2024 07.18 BSTShare
When Pope Francis stepped on to the hallowed grounds of the Istiqlal mosque in the Indonesian capital on Thursday, he marked a historic moment in his quest to bridge the divides between the world’s major religions.
Dressed in a simple white cassock, he was greeted by Istiqlal’s grand imam, Nasaruddin Umar, and representatives from Indonesia’s six officially recognised religions – Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism.
In a speech welcoming the pope, Nasaruddin underscored the need for peaceful coexistence amid global diversity.
“Our brothers and sisters worldwide continue to endure severe hardships due to conflict,” he said. “We also face an environmental crisis with climate change and global warming posing serious threats to our existence.”
For his part the pope highlighted the architectural contribution of Friedrich Silaban, a Christian who designed the mosque, the largest in southeast Asia, which opened in the 1970s.
“This testifies to the fact that throughout the history of this nation and in the very fabric of its culture, the mosque, like other places of worship, are spaces of dialogue, mutual respect and harmonious coexistence between religions and different spiritual sensibilities,” he said.
For many Catholics in Jakarta, Francis’ visit has been a source of pride and inspiration.
People hold fans commemorating Pope Francis’ visit as they gather outside the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference Headquarters in Jakarta. Photograph: Bagus Indahono/EPA
“The pope’s visit to Istiqlal shows a sense of togetherness in our diversity,” said Petrus Ohaira, a 48-year-old civil servant from Maluku in eastern Indonesia. He was one of about 100 people who had gathered outside the mosque to catch a glimpse of Francis.
“As the leader of the Catholic church, he embodies tolerance and humanity, always upholding respect for one another despite our differences in faith,” he said.
Silviana, a 45-year-old freelancer and an avid fan of the pope, said Muslims and Christians should respect each other. “My hope is that Indonesians will continue to practise religious tolerance and avoid creating divisions,” she said.
Suganda, a 58-year-old retiree, expressed hope that the Istiqlal visit would deepen the understanding of unity and tolerance in Indonesia. “It’s a great example for all of us. It proves there is no barrier between Muslims and Catholics,” he said. “Together, we can move forward.”
An ‘eloquent sign’ of friendship
Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country with over 270 million people, is renowned for its religious diversity and has long emphasised its constitutional principle of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity).
Catholics make up about 3% of the population, with Protestants accounting for 7%.
However, recent years have seen a rise in Islamic religious conservatism, raising concerns about the country’s pluralistic traditions.
During his mosque visit the pope also looked at the “tunnel of friendship”, an underground passage connecting Istiqlal with the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, one of Jakarta’s most iconic buildings, calling it an “eloquent sign”.
Completed in 2021, the 38.3-metre tunnel symbolises Indonesia’s commitment to interfaith tolerance and cooperation. The tunnel allows “these two great places of worship not only to be ‘in front’ of each other, but also ‘connected’ to each other,” the pope said.
Francis’ visit to Indonesia is the first leg of a larger tour that includes stops in Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore.
His itinerary in Indonesia includes meetings with President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and culminates with a mass at the national stadium later on Thursday, which 85,000 Catholics were expected to attend.
The encounter at the mosque showed the personal side of the pope’s policy of seeking better Muslim-Catholic relations. Francis and Umar – the aged pope and the youthful imam – showed a clear affinity for one another. As Francis was leaving, he grasped Umar’s hand, kissed it and held it to his cheek.
In a joint declaration after the interfaith meeting, representatives from Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and traditional beliefs outlined urgent concerns about the state of the world, beginning with the “serious crises” of dehumanisation and environmental degradation.
“The global phenomenon of dehumanisation is marked especially by widespread violence and conflict, frequently leading to an alarming number of victims,” they said. “It is particularly worrying that religion is often instrumentalised in this regard, causing suffering to many, especially women, children and the elderly.”
The declaration also highlighted the impact of human exploitation on the environment, which they said had “contributed to climate change, leading to various destructive consequences such as natural disasters, global warming and unpredictable weather patterns”. They described the ongoing environmental crisis as a barrier to achieving peaceful coexistence.
The declaration called for a more effective promotion of core religious values to combat the prevailing culture of violence and negligence.
Religious leaders in particular, “inspired by their respective spiritual narratives and traditions”, should cooperate in responding to such crises, he declaration stated.
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And 50,000 plus in Christmas week 2021 If you add up all the downloads from my Wordpress + 13,000 when somebody stole the file. I have had more copies than Boris Johnson's Churchill book distributed. Maybe 40,000 copies . Not made a penny from it, free downloads in multiple languages. Reverse Logic, if the world knows me, eventually somebody will pay me But in reality I'll be dead first, and then just 2 pennies to pay the ferryman is enough I've cut the Plaudits, you can read/decide for yourself As for my life, I was born in the shadow of a Brewery, I was a computer operator for a market research company into alcohol sales, 21 years altogether, StatsMR Call centre guy, like everybody once in their life I was also a Trainee Betting Shop Manager I was a concierge and 10 other roles at Crowne Plaza NEC Birmingham for 3 years. Spent 3 years at Pinsent Masons Law firm in Birmingham I even hid a copy of my comic novel "BBU" in the Law Library at Pinsent Masons, well just for a day.. I did a few other jobs too, working life in reverse so to speak and I was an Esol English teacher in an Islamic school, for a year, I knew I could teach. I got Excellent, Excellent and Exemplary on the external assessment, yes really And I asked them to pray for me at least once a day beside which I've had a Shanghai connection for 20 years now, including 2 bilingual daughters and being a hausfrau a long time too, I'm a great dad, as I've had lots of time with my daughters I can always make somebody talk or laugh I believe my short stories could be used to teach English, just package them up correctly or App them Or a Tale a Day from Michael, a story telling App What else, I was brawn and brains, I used to be as strong as an Ox, now I just smell like one We have a cat called Totoro, my daughters wanted a pet I said they could have a dog if I died , or a cat if I had a heart attack. 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That's why I dream of a speed typist, so I could dictate from the sofa https://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Casey/e/B00571G0YC to buy ebooks Loads of Korean and Arabic translations downloaded from my Wordpress, 1000s of them Quick Stories in Korean is a big hit. Maybe Kim in North Korea should read my books, instead of wasting his countries resources on what? Just keeping one person in power, him? Instead of joining the real world and opening a string on golf courses. That way we could get rid of Trump too. Into the sunset, as they play golf. Tears for a Butcher will be the sequel to BBU, and it too will be 600pages, however I really need a speed typist to put it down, while I sit and dictate like Barbara Cartland, and hopefully my speed typist would be impressed. we'd marry have half Korean kids, and form a Kpop band with our 4 new kids, with me as manager. And yes this is more for my bucket list, as Tinnitus keeps me awake too much, 6 months of not sleeping till dawn is really killing me Michael Casey aka the fat silver haired writer in shades from Birmingham England https://2.gravatar.com/avatar/efda2dca0de5b9269191b7c8b0102473?s=400&d=mm View all posts by michaelgcasey
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