Pope Francis arrives in Indonesia, kickstarting longest tour of papacy with pivot to Asia

Jakarta [Indonesia], September 3 (ANI): Pope Francis on Tuesday arrived in Jakarta on the first leg of his marathon 12-day visit of four countries including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Singapore.

After an over 13 hour-long flight, the 87-year-old pontiff landed at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten the Jakarta Post reported.

Sitting in a wheelchair, Francis disembarked from the plane via a lift and was handed a bouquet of local produce by two children dressed in traditional attire, the Indonesian news publication reported.

As per the Vatican, this is the pontiff’s 45th Apostolic Journey abroad, and the longest thus far of his pontificate.

On Wednesday, the Pope is due to address Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the country’s political leaders and on Thursday, the Pope will take part in an interreligious meeting at Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, as per the Jakarta Post.

Afterwards, Pope Francis will sign an interfaith declaration with the grand imam of Indonesia and is also expected to visit an underpass linking the mosque and the Catholic cathedral next door known as the “tunnel of friendship,” CNN reported.

H is expected to urge global action on climate change.

Ahead of the Pope’s arrival, President Jokowi said the “very historic visit” had been planned long ago but was delayed by the pandemic.

“Indonesia and the Vatican have a similar commitment to cultivate peace and brotherhood as well as ensuring prosperity for the people,” the Indonesian President was cited as saying in the Jakarta Post.

Prior to Pope Francis, two Popes had visited Indonesia- Pope St. Paul VI in 1970 and Pope St. John Paul II in 1989.

The landmark visit will allow the Pope to highlight key themes of his pontificate, including inter-religious dialogue and protection of the environment, CNN reported adding that the trip also underscores a significant shift taking place inside the Catholic Church “its tilt to Asia.”

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, has about 280 million inhabitants, only about 3 per cent of them Catholic, the Jakarta Post said.