Indonesian Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas wishes to welcome Pope Francis to Indonesia. He said he wanted to invite Pope Francis to experience the beauty of the diversity of Indonesian and greet Indonesian Catholics directly.
"Hopefully, after everything is back to normal condition, he can come to Indonesia. I ask the Catholic Director General of Indonesia to plan to invite him," said Qoumas in his statement, Tuesday, March 8.
Qoumas said he was impressed by his meeting with Pope Francis back in 2019. He praised Pope Francis' openness in accepting differences.
"I told him about the beauty of tolerance in Indonesia, and he (Pope Francis) admitted that he really loves Indonesia," he said.
Qoumas' wish was conveyed at the National Meeting of the Commission on Interreligious Relations and Beliefs of the Indonesian Catholic Bishops' Conference with the theme Strengthening Religious Moderation to Support Peaceful and Inclusive Communities for Sustainable Development in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia.
The Minister of Religion appreciated the national meeting because apart from discussing strengthening religious moderation, he also formulated strategic, systematic, and simultaneous steps to maintain brotherhood and harmony.
"I hope this activity can contribute and contribute to strengthening religious moderation, for the realization of a harmonious, harmonious, peaceful and inclusive society towards a developed and prosperous Indonesia," he said.
Meanwhile, the Vice-Chairperson of the House of Representatives, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, appreciates the desire of Yaqut Cholil Qoumas to invite the Catholic leader, Pope Francis, to Indonesia.
"I think that what the Minister of Religion has done is respectable because our country is not only (for) certain religions," said Ahmad.
Ahmad explained that the entry of an international religious figure to Indonesia could prove that Indonesia is a diverse nation. Therefore, according to him, the arrival of any religious figures to Indonesia should be welcomed.
"To invite International public figures to Indonesia reflects that we are a nation that respects unity in diversity. Yes, of course, guests from anywhere are welcome to Indonesia," explained Ahmad.
In addition to the Pope, Qoumas revealed his plan to invite other world religious leaders, namely Grand Sheikh Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb.
"Apart from Pope Francis, my team and I are trying to invite Grand Sheikh Al-Azhar to come to Indonesia," he explained further.
Grand Sheikh Al-Azhar Ahmed Al Tayeb and Pope Francis are two important people who strive for world peace. In 2019 both faith leaders in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, have declared the Charter of Human Fraternity for Peace and Living.
Speaking to RVA, the Indonesian Bishop's Conference (KWI) executive secretary, Father Paulus Christian Siswantoko, said he didn't know about this new development in Pope Francis' visit to Indonesia.
“Regarding the news of Pope Francis' visit to Indonesia, KWI has not received any information. The news emerged from a statement by the Minister of Religion, who had planned to invite the Pope to come to Indonesia, said Father Siswantoko.
In 1989, Pope John Paul II paid a visit to Indonesia. Pope Francis had planned a visit to Asia before the outbreak, including stops in Indonesia, Timor Leste, and Papua New Guinea.
While Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country, with Muslims accounting for more than 80% of its 273 million overall population, there are 28.82 million Christians in the country as of June 2021. Christians number 20.4 million, whereas Catholics number 8.41 million.
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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