In his first speech of a 12-day tour of Southeast Asia, where Christians make up a small minority of the population, the pope said the Catholic Church would step up efforts to engage in interfaith dialogue aimed at helping counter extremism.
“In this way, prejudices can be ended and an environment of trust and mutual respect can be achieved,” the 87-year-old pope said in a speech to about 300 political and religious leaders at the presidential Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, according to Reuters.
“This is indispensable in the face of common challenges, including extremism and intolerance, which, by distorting religion, seek to impose their views using deception and violence,” Pope Francis said.
Indonesia has a population of about 280 million people, an estimated 87 percent of whom are Muslim. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the country’s constitution.
Indonesia has seen several incidents of extremist violence in recent years, including suicide attacks in 2021 and 2022 by members of the Islamic State-linked group Jemaah Ansharut Daulah.
In his welcoming speech to the Pope, Indonesian President Joko Widodo thanked Pope Francis for his efforts in calling for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
“Indonesia appreciates the Vatican’s position that continues to express (and) call for peace in Palestine, and supports the two-state solution,” said Widodo, who will step down in October after 10 years in office.
In addition to Indonesia, Pope Francis’ tour of Southeast Asia and the Pacific will include Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
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