Indonesia, the country with the most Muslims in the world, has announced its intention to invite Pope Francis to this Southeast Asian nation, where he would be the first visit by a Supreme Pontiff to the vast archipelago since 1989.
As confirmed to Efe by the director of Catholic affairs of the Indonesian Ministry of Religion, Albertus Magnus Adiyarto Sumardjono, the country prepares an invitation with the status of a state visit with the intention of Francis meeting with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).
Sumardjono, in charge of processing the invitation, whose date he still does not know precisely, told Efe that he considers “important to bring to Indonesia the pope’s message of tolerance”.
The gesture to catholic community It comes amid criticism for the apparent proliferation of radical Islam in recent years in Indonesia, making more and more room for itself in politics and institutions.
One of the most notable examples of this trend was the jailing of former Jakarta governorthe Christian of Chinese origin Basuki Tjahaja Purnama -“Ahok”-, for blasphemy against Islam in 2017.
The Minister for Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, had said in a statement that Indonesia plans to invite, in addition to the head of the Catholic Church, the great Imam Alzhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb, leader of the most prestigious institution of Sunni Islam with headquarters in Cairo, according to the local media Detak.
“In addition to Pope Francis, my team and I we are trying to invite the great imam Sheikh Al-Azhar to come to Indonesia”, explained the minister.
The invitation coincides with Indonesia’s efforts to raise its diplomatic profile on the occasion of its presidency of the G20 (formed by the most developed and emerging countries) this year, which is why it will host a summit in Bali next October.
In Indonesia, a country of more than 270 million inhabitants, more than 80 percent of the population is Muslimand according to local estimates there are approximately 23.5 million Christians.
The last Muslim country of the ten visited by Pope Francis was Iraq in 2021, while the previous trip of a supreme pontiff to the Asian archipelago was by John Paul II in 1989, during the mandate of dictator Suharto. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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