INTER-RELIGIOUS HARMONY
One key theme of the journey is inter-religious concord. Pope Francis is about to have interaction not solely with native Catholic teams, but additionally leaders of different faiths and political figures.
He is because of arrive in Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon, and can formally meet Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the Merdeka Palace on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the Pope is then anticipated to attend an interfaith assembly at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta earlier than main a mass on the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium advanced, the place round 80,000 Catholics are anticipated to attend.
Indonesia has the biggest Muslim inhabitants of any nation. Catholics make up 3.1 per cent of its complete inhabitants of about 280 million.
Observers stated the world will take a look at how a lot Pope Francis promotes range, in addition to how a lot nearer he brings the Vatican to Asia.
The tour additionally holds nice significance, provided that Asia is taken into account an essential area to the Vatican. Pope Francis has made six earlier journeys to the continent all through his papacy.
Dr Michel Chambon, analysis fellow on the Asia Analysis Institute’s faith and globalisation cluster, famous that Asia is turning into “extra central” in international affairs.
“Asia is perhaps one of many few continents that has been capable of protect and develop various political fashions and traditions, spiritual traditions and political traditions,” he instructed CNA.
“And so, if the Holy See needs to be actually common, it has to have interaction with Asian traditions which were extraordinarily resilient and artistic in participating with modernity.”
Singapore’s former overseas affairs minister George Yeo, who was additionally beforehand a member of the Vatican Council for the Economic system, identified that Pope Francis has appointed bishops from throughout Asia, in addition to cardinals from each nation in Southeast Asia.
“He does it to specific the concept of a common church, that this isn’t a European church. It isn’t a Western church,” Mr Yeo added.
