Pope Francis is on an apostolic visit to South East Asia and Oceania in September, with Indonesia being the first country he visits before Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Singapore.
Pope Francis arrived in Indonesia on September 3, 2024, and was greeted with great fanfare, joy and gratitude by the people of Indonesia, who are diverse in ethnicity, religion, culture and language. Even the figure of the Holy Father who is known as a person who always smiles, welcoming, simple, and unpretentious became viral news on all social media. His virtues truly reveal the presence of the Lord Jesus Himself in the world.
During his apostolic visit to Indonesia, various events were organised and reached all levels of society. On September 4, 2024, the Pope met with Mr. Joko Widodo, the President of Indonesia. During this state visit, the Holy Father blessed all the people and nations of Indonesia, saying, “May God bless Indonesia with peace for a future full of hope. God bless you all.” The Pope’s prayer referred to the importance of unity in diversity that characterises the Indonesian nation.
Later on the same date, the Holy Father met with bishops, priests, monks, nuns, deacons, catechists, animators, and seminarians at St. Mary’s Church of the Assumption, Jakarta Cathedral. The audience was attended by approximately 800 people, with 10 to 20 people representing each congregation in Indonesia. The Holy Father emphasised that we are all the same as brothers, with no differences, and we are all responsible for the growth and development of the Catholic Church.
Following this event, there was a meeting with young people who were members of Scholas Occurrentes, an international educational movement initiated by Pope Francis when he was Bishop of Argentina. This movement includes not only young Catholics but also young people from various religions.
The motto of this apostolic visit was FAITH, FRATERNITY, and COMPASSION. These three virtues express well the virtues of being a Church and the character of Indonesia as a nation that is ethnically and culturally different and simultaneously faced with the struggle to realise a united and peaceful life together following the basic ideology of Indonesia: PANCASILA.
On September 5, 2024, Pope Francis also scheduled his apostolic visit to meet with inter-religious leaders in Indonesia at the Istiqlal Mosque which is right in front of the Jakarta Cathedral Church. Between the church and the mosque, a tunnel was built to connect. This tunnel is named the Silaturahmi tunnel, also called the tolerance tunnel. Pope Francis said that this tunnel of Silaturahmi is about religious dialogue, a symbol of religious peace, which characterises Indonesia. The Holy Father prayed for those who pass through this tunnel to always be in the spirit of diversity, harmony, and fraternity.
Pope Francis then visited the Office of The Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia (BCI; Indonesian: Konferensi Waligereja Indonesia, KWI) to meet people with disabilities. The Pope’s arrival was greeted with enthusiastic shouts from the people in front of the Office of BCI.
Pope Francis’ Apostolic Visit concluded with a High Mass at Gelora Bung Karno, attended by 87 thousand Indonesian Catholics. As the Pope arrived at Gelora Bung Karno, he was greeted with cheers and shouts of “Viva il Papa.” During his homily, Pope Francis encouraged Catholics, that they do not only listen to the Word of God but also to actively live it out. And to the Indonesian nation: “Do not tired of sailing and forging your path, do not tire of dreaming and building a civilisation of peace! Always dare to dream of fraternity! Guided by the Word of God, I urge all of you to spread love, confidently choose the path of dialogue, and continue to show kindness and warmth with a distinctive smile that sets you apart as builders of unity and peace. So, you will spread the fragrance of hope all around you.”
Pope Francis ends Indonesia’s visit on September 6, 2024, with a powerful call for peace, unity and environmental stewardship. The messages conveyed during this apostolic visit are not only for Indonesians but also for all nations. The values of faith, fraternity, and compassion must be consistently upheld to foster a more peaceful and equitable existence. May the presence of the Holy Father in Indonesia also bring blessings to all nations, so that the name of God may be glorified, both now and forever.
