JAKARTA – On Pope Francis’s first full day of events in Jakarta, both Muslim leaders and local Catholics have welcomed his visit, calling it a blessing and an opportunity to boost Indonesia’s profile as a place of tolerance.
Speaking to Crux, Father Matthew Pawai, a priest from Jakarta who attended Pope Francis’s Sept. 4 meeting with bishops, clergy and religious in Indonesia, said the pope’s presence “is meaningful for me” and makes him “very proud to be a Catholic.”
“We were longing for him, waiting for him to be here in Indonesia, and really I’m proud to be a priest, and also Catholic, because many spiritual leaders come to my country from all over the world,” he said, noting that the last papal visit was nearly 40 years ago, when Pope John Paul II visited in 1989.
Pointing to Pope Francis’s praise for Indonesia’s diverse cultural and ethnic composition and his call for unity in diversity in a speech to civil authorities earlier that morning, Pawai said that even though Muslims are a majority, making up 87 percent of the population, “Catholics are also part of Indonesia.”
“When the pope talks about religion and diversity, and our task as a church to be Catholics with other religions, to create peace, to create togetherness, it’s something that makes us proud and happy,” he said.
Pawai said interreligious relations are good, and voiced hope that the pope would continue pushing his message of “gathering, togetherness, and collaboration with others.”
He voiced hope that Indonesia will host more popes in the future, saying, “hopefully the next can come to Indonesia and make us really happy!”
Interreligious harmony has so far been the at the heart of Pope Francis’s message in Indonesia, having told civil authorities to fight extremism and foster tolerance Wednesday morning, and telling Indonesian clergy and religious to be openminded and inclusive.
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Muslims themselves have so far been welcoming of Pope Francis, with several lining up on the streets alongside Catholics outside of Jakarta’s cathedral, located in a Muslim district, to wave at him as he arrived at his meeting with clergy and religious.
On the day of Pope Francis’s arrival, the Central Board of Muhammadiyah, one of the main Islamic groups in Indonesia, issued a statement calling the pope’s visit “an honor and respect for the Indonesian people.”
“In the midst of his tight schedule, Pope Francis is pleased to visit Indonesia using commercial aircraft and traveling very long distances and not stay at a five-star hotel,” they said, calling this an example and an inspiration for leaders “at the national and global levels.”
In terms of Catholic-Islamic relations, the visit, the board said, highlights the significance of Indonesia and the Pope Francis’ commitment to forging stronger ties with the Islamic world.
They pointed to the 2019 document on Human Fraternity that Pope Francis signed in Abu Dhabi along with the Gran Imam of Egypt’s prestigious al-Azhar mosque, Ahmad el-Thayeb.
The document, the board said, “underlines the same spirit of Islamic teachings and commitment of Catholicism in building human dignity and cooperation among faiths in peace.”
Pope Francis’s planned interreligious encounter, which will be held Thursday at Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, “shows openness in dialogue and cooperation among faiths as well introducing Indonesia to the world as a pluralistic country with religious and cultural harmony,” they said.
The board said Indonesians should “welcome and respect” Pope Francis’s visit, and offer him “full hospitality and politeness to reflect noble Indonesian culture and civilization.”
Government leaders ought to use the pope’s visit, they said, to discuss issues related to peace, and Indonesia’s role in facilitating peace worldwide, with special regard to the “Palestinian issue.”
“It is important for Indonesia to use the visit and meeting with the Pope as a momentum to initiate and develop its role in world peace more proactively in seeking permanent solutions for the future of Palestine by involving various parties at the world level,” they said.
In a nod to the generally harmonious relationship the various religions enjoy with one another, Father Pilifur Junianto, a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary from Batam, told journalists ahead of the pope’s meeting with clergy and religious that Catholics in Indonesia practice silaturahmi.
“It means we encounter others, other religions, other cultures. We visit each other on our feast days,” he said.
Sister Filomena Suarez, member of the Society of the Sacred Heart who at one point lived in Rome, told Crux that having Pope Francis in Indonesia is “different. Him coming here, it’s different.”
A native of East Timor, where Pope Francis will also visit during his 12-day tour of Asia and Oceania, Suarez said her congregation has many Muslim friends, and they are also happy about the pope’s visit.
“They appreciate and are very happy with the visit of our Holy Pope Francis,” she said.
Sister Floria Marie, a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame, said there is a lot of excitement over the pope’s visit, and that “the feeling here for the pope is really enthusiastic, because in Indonesia we really hope to see the pope.”
“Sometimes we see him on television, but now we really can see him in reality now. Especially for me, I am really happy to see him, it’s a blessing for me,” she said,
A kindergarten teacher who lives just outside of Jakarta, Floria Marie said her message to Pope Francis this week is simple, “Pope, I love you!”
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