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One of the images of the Pope’s last day in Jakarta was the kiss that the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Umar, gave the Pope on the head.
Pope Francis concluded his visit to Indonesia on Thursday with a mass for nearly 100,000 faithful and with thousands of people crowding his path to greet him, on a day in which he also relaunched dialogue with Islam and other religions to help resolve conflicts and address environmental destruction.
“As it is told in the Acts of the Apostles, it happened in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, keep making a joyful noise. Do not stop making noise! ” was how the Pope said goodbye at the Jakarta mass to the nearly 60,000 faithful who filled the Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta, while another 40,000 followed the mass on screens in another adjacent stadium.
Despite the heat and humidity, the Pope spent more than 45 minutes in the popemobile greeting the faithful in the two stadiums. After Mass, he spent some time greeting the faithful, while on the way to the nunciature, where he is currently staying, he stopped his car several times to bless children.
The Catholic faithful, who represent 3.1% of this Muslim-majority country – some 8 million – came from all the parishes of Indonesia, many of them from the “Catholic” Flores, with one of the largest communities in the country, but also from Papua, dressed in their traditional costumes.
They welcomed the Pope singing and shouting with their choirs and their ‘Long live the Pope’ .
Like Paulina Dessy Wulandari, 39, her husband Krisanto Grahadi, 37, and their children Stevie, 6, and Abigail, 2, who had been waiting for the Pope’s arrival for several hours in their matching white T-shirts.
“My workplace is pluralistic, there are not only Catholics. And my colleagues think that the Pope brings peace. So there is not a single negative feeling towards him. So he is a bearer of peace,” Krisanto said.
“We pray for him every Sunday during Mass. So his visit is a blessing for us. I am very grateful that he was able to come here. It is a blessing that from this moment we can show that Indonesia is a pluralistic country, a country of peace and harmony . The Holy Father is also a very humble person. From these values that he brings, we can set him as an example for our children,” Dessy added.
Dialogue and kissing the imam’s hand
One of the images of the Pope’s last day in Jakarta was the kiss that the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Umar, gave the Pope on the head, while the pontiff responded by kissing his hand several times.
These gestures were preceded by words and the signing of a declaration in which they urged representatives of religions to help resolve conflicts and deal with environmental destruction.
The signing took place during an interfaith meeting held in an outdoor space at the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia.
The Istiqlal document, which is inspired by the ‘Document on Human Fraternity’ signed by the Pope and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Au Dhabi, addresses “the two serious crises” facing the world: “dehumanisation and climate change”.
And interreligious dialogue is called for “as an effective tool for resolving local, regional and international conflicts, especially those caused by the abuse of religion.”
“All people of good will are called upon to act decisively to preserve the integrity of the ecosystem and its resources inherited from previous generations, which we hope to pass on to our children and grandchildren.”
From the country with the largest number of Muslims, Francis will travel tomorrow to Papua New Guinea, a country with a majority of Christians, to continue his tour in which he will also visit East Timor and Singapore.
