JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Pope Francis joined the grand imam of Southeast Asia’s largest mosque in pledging to work together to promote peace and protect the environment on Thursday, issuing a joint call for interfaith friendship and common cause at the heart of Francis’ visit to Indonesia.
In an encounter rich with symbolic meaning, Francis traveled to Jakarta’s iconic Istiqlal Mosque for an interfaith gathering with representatives of the six religions that are officially recognized in Indonesia: Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Catholicism and Protestantism.
There, he and the grand imam, Nasaruddin Umar, stood at the ground-level entrance to the “Tunnel of Friendship,” an underpass which connects the mosque compound with the neighboring Catholic cathedral, Our Lady of the Assumption.
Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, has held out the tunnel as a tangible sign of its commitment to religious freedom, which is enshrined in the constitution but has been challenged by repeated instances of discrimination and violence against religious minorities.
Approaching the elevator to the tunnel, Francis too said it was a potent sign of how different religious traditions “have a role to play in helping everyone pass through the tunnels of life with our eyes turned towards the light.”
“In the face of today’s many challenges, we respond with the sign of fraternity,” Francis said in an initial greeting. “Indeed, by welcoming others and respecting their identity, fraternity urges them on a common path traveled in friendship and leading towards the light.”
Francis traveled to Indonesia, at the start of an 11-day, four-nation trip to Asia and Oceania, to encourage Indonesia to combat religious extremism and pledge the Catholic Church’s commitment to greater fraternity.
Francis has made improving Catholic-Muslim ties a hallmark of his papacy and has prioritized travel to majority Muslim nations to further the agenda. Fighting climate change has also been an important priority, with Francis insisting on the moral dimension of caring for God’s creation.
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