Subhi Agrawal
On Wednesday, Pope Francis, 87, started his 12-day tour in the Asia Pacific. He used the visit to call on political leaders in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, to protect against religious extremism. He described it as distorting religious beliefs through “deception and violence.”
Francis’s Speech In Reducing Extremism
Indonesia has a population of around 280 million people, with approximately 87% identifying as Muslim. The country’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion.
During Francis’s first speech on a 12-day tour of Southeast Asia, where Christians are a minority. The Pope said the Catholic Church will increase its efforts in inter-religious dialogue to help reduce extremism.
“In this way, prejudices can be eliminated, and a climate of mutual respect and trust can grow. This is indispensable for meeting common challenges, including that of countering extremism and intolerance, which through the distortion of religion attempt to impose their views by using deception and violence,” the pope said, addressing some 300 politicians and religious leaders at Jakarta’s Merdeka presidential palace, reported by NBC News.
In recent years, there have been many incidents of extremist violence, including suicide bomb attacks in 2021 and 2022. The 2021 attack injured at least 19 people.
The attacks are said to be carried out by individuals linked to Jamaah Ansharut Daulah, a group inspired by the Islamic State.
The Two Leaders Were Saluted
The pope will travel nearly 21,000 miles during his 12 days of the tour, before returning to Rome on Sept. 13.
According to NBC News, President Joko Widodo appreciates Francis’s effort to address the cease-fire in the Israel-Gaza war and said, “Indonesia appreciates the Vatican’s attitude which continues to voice (and) call for peace in Palestine, and supports a two-state solution.”
People cheered and waved the Indonesian flag as the Francis car arrived at the Presidential place.
Before moving inside for the meeting, the two leaders were saluted by an honor guard. The guard plays the Indonesian and Vatican anthems to honor them.
“There are times when faith in God is … sadly manipulated to foment divisions and increase hatred instead of furthering peace, communion, dialogue, respect, cooperation, and fraternity,” Francis said as he didn’t explicitly make any reference to violence.
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