Pope Francis is set to visit Indonesia next week as part of his 12-day Asia-Pacific tour, which will also include stops in Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore. During his visit to Jakarta, the Pope will tour the Istiqlal Mosque, which features a distinctive “Tunnel of Friendship” connecting it to the Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral. This 28.3-meter tunnel, built in 2020, symbolizes religious harmony and aligns with the Pope’s emphasis on interfaith dialogue.
At 87, the Pope’s visit to Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, comes amidst concerns about his health. His itinerary includes an interfaith meeting at the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, and a visit to the tunnel, which remains closed to the public but is adorned with windows and inscribed artwork.
Nasaruddin Umar, the grand imam of the Istiqlal Mosque, expressed the significance of the visit, highlighting the mutual respect between religious communities in Indonesia. Despite only about 3% of the 280 million Indonesian population being Catholic, the visit has generated considerable excitement among Indonesian Catholics, who have not seen a papal visit in over three decades.
The Pope is also scheduled to meet outgoing President Joko Widodo and lead a mass service at a Jakarta stadium, anticipated to draw over 80,000 attendees.
While Indonesia has experienced visits from two previous popes—Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1989—the country has a complex history with religious harmony. Catholicism faced restrictions under Dutch colonial rule and continues to encounter challenges in modern secular Indonesia, including discrimination against minority religions.
Despite these challenges, the visit is seen as a beacon of hope for unity. As Maria Regina Widyastuti Sasongko, a local Catholic, put it, “His visit can transform people to love one another.”
