- Pope in Indonesia: offers people to stay connected to fight the intolerance
- Multiple appearances in Indonesia
Pope in Indonesia: offers people to stay connected to fight the intolerance
Pope Francis, starting his Asia-Pacific tour on Wednesday with a stop in Muslim-majority Indonesia, said interfaith ties must be "strengthened" to fight extremism and intolerance.
In a speech after meeting President Joko Widodo, he said inter-religious dialogue is "indispensable to tackle common challenges, including the fight against extremism and intolerance."
The leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics has arrived in Indonesia for a three-day visit, the first stop on a 12-day trip that will also include visits to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
"To foster a peaceful and fruitful harmony... The Church desires to strengthen inter-religious dialogue," he told officials at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.
Multiple appearances in Indonesia
Indonesia has a long history of fighting Islamists, including the 2002 bombings on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people. These attacks were the bloodiest in Indonesia's history and prompted a crackdown on militants.
Security has been stepped up in Jakarta and traffic has been diverted or closed on the roads around the key sites where the Pope is due to visit.
The Pope's speech was one of the first events of his visit to the Indonesian capital. Later in the day, he will give a speech at the city's cathedral and attend a mass at the 80,000-seater national football stadium.
Based on ELTA reports
