Pope Francis today at the Jakarta mosque: the reason

With a capacity to accommodate up to 120 thousand faithful, the ‘Istiqlal’ mosque or
Independence Square in Jakarta, Indonesia is the largest in Southeast Asia and among the most impressive in the world. Inside today, Pope Francis and Nasaruddin Umar, former deputy minister for religious affairs and Grand Imam of the mosque since 2016, will sign an important document on humanitarian, tolerance and environmental issues, in the context of interreligious dialogue between Catholics and Muslims.

The structure of the mosque

“Istiqlal Mosque will witness this historic event and the world will see how tolerance and harmony reign in Indonesia,” Umar said. The mosque was built to celebrate Indonesian independence. The foundation stone was laid in 1961 under the presidency of Sukarno. It took 17 years to complete, so much so that it was inaugurated by President Suharto in 1978 and immediately opened to the public. Located near Merdeka Square and the Jakarta Cathedral, the mosque It has a dome 45 meters in diameterwhere the number symbolizes the year of the country’s proclamation of independence.

Leaders on Visit

Several foreign leaders have visited the mosque in recent years. Among them are former US Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, King Charles, King Salman of Saudi Arabia and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.