Pope Francis has warned in opposition to utilizing faith to gasoline battle on his final day of his go to to Indonesia, the primary cease in his tour across the Asia Pacific area.
On the Istiqlal mosque within the capital Jakarta, the Pope signed a declaration on non secular concord and environmental safety with the mosque’s grand imam and met with native leaders of six religions.
The 87-year-old had earlier on Tuesday kicked off a 11-day go to to the area, the longest international journey of his papacy.
After celebrating mass earlier than an anticipated crowd of 80,000 in Indonesia’s principal soccer stadium later within the day, he’ll transfer to Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Singapore.
Talking on the mosque – the biggest in South East Asia – the Pope on Thursday stated folks from totally different religions needed to know “we’re all brothers, all pilgrims, all on our approach to God, past what differentiates us”.
Humanity is dealing with a “severe disaster” led to by conflict, battle and the destruction of the setting, he added.
The Pope additionally visited a 28m (91ft) tunnel that connects Istiqlal mosque to a Catholic cathedral throughout the road.
He and grand imam Nasaruddin Umar stood on the entrace to the “tunnel of friendship”, which he stated was an “eloquent signal” of how folks of various beliefs might share roots.
Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim majority nation and solely 3% of its 275 million are Catholics.
Indonesia has six formally recognised religions — Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism.
The Pope has forward of him a gruelling schedule of public appreances and conferences with Church leaders within the Asia-Pacific, one in every of just a few locations on the planet the place the Catholic Church is rising when it comes to baptised devoted and non secular vocations.
In Indonesia, he has been seen transferring round and waving to adoring crowds from his wheelchair, underscoring considerations about his spate of well being points.
The Pope had earlier on Wednesday, the second day of his three-day go to, spoke alongside the nation’s outgoing president, Joko Widodo in Jakarta.
There, he stated Indonesia ought to stay as much as its promise of “concord in variety”.
He additionally praised Indonesians for having giant households with as much as 5 kids.
“Stick with it, you are an instance for everybody, for all of the international locations that perhaps, and this may sound humorous, (the place) these households desire to have a cat or just a little canine as a substitute of a kid,” he stated.
His remarks have been harking back to two years in the past, the place the Pope stated having pets as a substitute of youngsters diminishes the “humanity” of married {couples}.
