Asia and Oceania, Pope Francis' next destinationsKenny Ang: "Pope's trip symbolizes a moment of spiritual renewal for Indonesian Catholics".Tuesday, September 3, is the first day of Pope Francis' apostolic journey to the United States. Indonesia. An "ITA Airways" flight saw the Pontiff take off from Rome's Leonardo Da Vinci airport on September 2. On Tuesday morning the Holy Father landed in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, almost 11,000 kilometers from Rome and with a five-hour time zone difference.
The Pontiff was received at the airport by the Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and some delegations. From there he went directly to the nunciature where a group of sick people, migrants and refugees were waiting for him.
He had lunch at the diplomatic headquarters, celebrated Mass privately in the evening, had dinner and concluded the day by spending the night at the nunciature, adapting to the new schedule and preparing for a busy schedule on Wednesday.
The Holy Father, who is making his 45th apostolic journey, will remain in Indonesia until Friday the 6th, when he will travel to Papua New Guinea, departing on the 9th to East Timor, and staying from the 11th to the 13th in Singapore, from where he will return to Italy. This is, therefore, the longest trip of his pontificate - 32 thousand kilometers - despite his 87 years of age and health difficulties.
Indonesia, Pope Francis' first destination
Indonesia, the largest archipelago in the world, with almost 300 million people, is a country with an Islamic majority and a peaceful coexistence among the official religions, which in addition to Islam, are Christianity (10%), Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.
At the end of the last century Christianity in Indonesia suffered a harsh persecution, forcing them to renounce their faith to save their lives or to emigrate. The current religious freedom with the passage of time is improving, although in the identity documents it is obligatory to indicate the religion to which each citizen belongs, not being able to declare themselves agnostic, which facilitates a certain discrimination.
The first to arrive in Indonesia were Portuguese traders in 1513, until they were displaced by the sultanate of Banten. In 1595 the Dutch defeated the British rivals and took command of the region with the Dutch East India Company, constructing in Batavia, today Jakarta, Dutch-style buildings that transformed the capital into the so-called "Queen of the Orient".
During World War II, Indonesian nationalists fought and in 1945 declared the country's independence.
The capital located on the island of Java is sinking due to underground water extraction, so in 2019 the government decided on the construction of a future capital in the jungle, on the island of Borneo.
Other Popes in Indonesia
Pope Francis' visit to Indonesia is the third trip by a pontiff: in 1970 Paul VI and in 1989 John Paul II. On this occasion, Francis will not go alone, but will be accompanied by Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Philippine Cardinal Antonio Tagle.
It is expected that this apostolic journey will give impetus to interreligious dialogue, in particular with Islam, along the lines of the encyclical 'Fratelli tutti'. The Pope hopes that people and institutions will unite in their rejection of war, violence in the name of religion and the globalization of indifference.
In addition, the Holy Father wants to encourage the fight against climate change, to defend creation and to promote the importance of the spiritual component in economic development.
