Pope Francis concluded his visit to Indonesia, the first stop of his Asia-Pacific tour, by signing the Istiqlal 2024 Declaration with Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar at Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque on September 5, 2024. This joint declaration emphasizes the importance of interfaith harmony, environmental protection, and the need to combat religious extremism.The Pope’s visit to the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, included a tour of the ‘Tunnel of Friendship,’ a passageway connecting the mosque to the nearby Cathedral of Our Lady of Assumption. This symbolic gesture underscored the Pope’s message of unity and dialogue among different faiths.In his address, Pope Francis stressed the importance of looking beyond surface-level differences between religions to find common ground. He stated, ‘Only if we see deeply can we find what unites us beyond our differences’. The pontiff called for a ‘caravan of solidarity’ to promote peace and understanding, urging that ‘no one should yield to integralism and violence’.The joint declaration signed by the Pope and the Grand Imam calls for ‘decisive measures to preserve the integrity of the natural environment and its resources’. It also emphasizes the need to promote values common to all religious traditions to ‘defeat the culture of violence and indifference’.During his visit, Pope Francis also met with people with disabilities and the poor at the Conference of Indonesian Bishops, highlighting the importance of social inclusion and justice. He praised Indonesia’s motto of ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’ (Unity in Diversity), stating that the country’s most valuable treasure is its harmony, not its gold mines.As the Pope prepares to continue his 12-day journey to Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore, his message of interfaith dialogue and environmental action resonates as a call for global unity in addressing pressing challenges.
Key points
- Pope Francis and Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar signed the Istiqlal 2024 Declaration, promoting interfaith harmony and environmental action.
- The Pope emphasized the importance of looking beyond surface-level religious differences to find common ground.
- The joint declaration calls for decisive measures to preserve the environment and combat religious extremism.
- Pope Francis praised Indonesia’s motto of ‘Unity in Diversity’ and met with marginalized groups to promote social inclusion.
