Francis is the third pope to visit Indonesia from September 3 to 6, 2024.
The first pope to visit Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, was Pope Paul VI in 1970 in Jakarta, the country's capital, whereas Pope John Paul II was in Jakarta and four other cities.
The 87-year-old Pope Francis begins his first leg of the 12-day Asia-Pacific longest apostolic journey (from September 2 to 13 to Asia and Oceania) of his papacy.
He will also go to Papua New Guinea (September 6-9), East Timor (September 9-11), and Singapore (September 11-13).
On September 3, Pope Francis will arrive at 11:30 am at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport with an official welcome.
At 10.00 am, he will pay a courtesy visit to the outgoing President Joko Widodo of Indonesia at the Istana Merdeka Presidential Palace, followed by a meeting with authorities, civil society, and the diplomatic corps at 10.35 am.
At 16:30, he will meet with the bishop, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians, and catechists in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, Jakarta.
He will also visit the famous Istiqlal mosque and the Our Lady of the Assumption cathedral via the 28.3-meter "Tunnel of Friendship." The government constructed the tunnel in 2020 as a representation of religious harmony, which is the global head of the Catholic Church's subject.
The tunnel is not yet accessible to the public, but it does include windows to let light in and artwork etched on the walls.
At 10:15 am, the Holy Father will meet beneficiaries from charitable organizations in the Indonesian Bishops' Conference Headquarters, followed by Holy Mass in Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Jakarta, at 5.00 pm. Church officials anticipate over 80,000 attendees.
Indonesia has 281.5 million people, making it the fourth most populous country in the world and home to the largest number of Muslims. There are roughly 94 percent Muslims, 7.5 percent Protestants, 3.1% Catholics (280 million), and 1.7% Hindus.
In the sixteenth century, Portuguese missionaries introduced Catholicism to the region, but historians assert that the Dutch colonial administration permitted Protestantism to dominate for approximately two centuries.
The Vatican formally established diplomatic ties with Indonesia in the 1940s.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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