Pope Francis says “We are all brothers”, warns against religious extremism

JAKARTA: Pope Francis on Wednesday urged political leaders in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, to guard against religious extremism, which he said distorted people’s beliefs through “deception and violence”.

On a packed first full day of his longest ever overseas journey that includes nine days in Southeast Asia, where Christians are a small minority, the pontiff also met local Catholics and asked them not to force their faith on others.

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In a speech to Indonesia’s political leaders, Francis said the Catholic Church would increase its efforts toward inter-religious dialogue in hopes of helping tamp down extremism.

“In this way, prejudices can be eliminated, and a climate of mutual respect and trust can grow,” the 87-year-old pope said in an address at Jakarta’s presidential palace.

“This is indispensable for meeting common challenges, including that of countering extremism and intolerance, which through the distortion of religion attempt to impose their views by using deception and violence,” said Francis.

Speaking at Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, the 87-year-old pontiff said “By looking deeply… we discover that we are all brothers, all pilgrims, all on our way to God, beyond what differentiates us”.

About 87 per cent of Indonesia’s population of 280 million is Muslim. Freedom of religion is guaranteed in the country’s constitution.

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Though Indonesia has seen some instances of Islamist violence in recent years, including suicide bombings in 2021 and 2022 linked to an Islamic State-inspired group, religious extremism has been on a decline since a spate of high-profile attacks two decades ago that included the 2002 Bali bombing, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians

Indonesia’s president of 10 years, Joko Widodo, thanked Francis for his calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.

“Indonesia appreciates the Vatican’s attitude which continues to voice (and) call for peace,” he said in his welcoming speech.

NOT FORCING FAITH

Francis later met local Catholics in Jakarta’s cathedral. An enthusiastic crowd of hundreds, including a small child dressed in a pope outfit, gathered outside to see him.

The pope peppered his prepared remarks with off-the-cuff additions and jokes. He praised Indonesia’s cultural diversity and told the Catholics that following the church’s teachings “does not mean imposing our faith or placing it in opposition to that of others”.

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The pope will leave Indonesia on Friday before heading to Papua New Guinea, then East Timor and Singapore and will have clocked nearly 33,000 km (21,000 miles) when he returns to Rome on September 13.

Francis has emphasised Catholic-Muslim dialogue and in 2019 was the first pope to visit the Arabian peninsula. On Thursday, he will join an inter-religious meeting at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Southeast Asia’s largest mosque.