The Holy Father is currently in Asia, visiting four countries, three of which are in our Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific. Noteworthy in this trip is the religious diversity among these countries: Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country; Timor-Leste, where about 96 percent of the population is Catholic; and Singapore, known as the most religiously diverse nation.
Pope Francis arrived in Jakarta from Rome on 3 September on a trip that highlighted interreligious harmony. The Pope met with religious leaders from all six recognised religions in Indonesia, and together with the Grand Imam of Istiqlal, Nasaruddin Umar, signed a joint declaration on fostering religious harmony for the sake of humanity. The two religious leaders also visited the “Tunnel of Friendship,” which connects the Istiqlal Mosque with Jakarta’s main cathedral.
Pope Francis spent time with marginal communities, including migrants and refugees supported by Jesuit Refugee Service, orphans, the elderly, and the sick. As is customary during his apostolic trips, he held a private meeting with the local Jesuits.
He concluded his three-day visit with a Mass at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, drawing a crowd of about 100,000 people, whom he urged to be “builders of unity and peace”.
From Indonesia, the Pope proceeded to Papua New Guinea spending three days in the cities of Port Moresby and Vanimo.
His next stop was in Dili, Timor-Leste, where the Jesuit mission has played a significant role in nation-building. Among the highlights of his visit from 9 to 10 September were meeting children with disabilities, local clergy, his fellow Jesuits, and some 4,000 young people.
But the main event was the closing Mass at Taci Tolu that saw an estimated 600,000 people, nearly half of the country’s population, brave the afternoon sun to celebrate the Eucharist with the Pope. Many of the attendees were young, and many parents were seen holding their babies and keeping their children close. “Indeed, you are a young country, and we can see every corner of your land teeming with life,” the Pope said during his homily. He emphasised the importance of taking of children, but also elders, “who are the memory of this land”.
Pope Francis is now in Singapore, where he will spend the next two days, before returning to Rome on 13 September. His schedule includes a private meeting with his fellow Jesuits, meeting with government authorities, civil society, and diplomatic corps, a Mass at the Singapore SportsHub National Stadium, a visit to a group of elderly and sick people, and an interreligious dialogue with young people.
