Pope arrives in Indonesia at start of four-nation tour September 3, 2024By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Vatican, World News JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNS) — Pope Francis landed in Jakarta after a 13-hour flight from Rome and was greeted by the religious affairs minister of Indonesia and two children in traditional dress who offered him flowers. After such a long flight, the pope was scheduled to take the remainder of Sept. 3 to rest and try to get used to the five-hour time difference between Rome and Jakarta. Pope Francis, a group of children who are orphaned and the Dominican sisters who care for them clap during a meeting at the apostolic nunciature in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 3, 2024. The people the pope met are assisted by the Community of Sant’Egidio, the Dominican sisters and Jesuit Refugee Service. (CNS photo/Vatican Media) However, before resting, Pope Francis visited with migrants and refugees assisted by Jesuit Refugee Service, orphans cared for by Dominican sisters and elderly and sick people assisted by the Community of Sant’Egidio. The visit Sept. 3 took place at the apostolic nunciature where the pope is staying while in Indonesia. At the beginning of the flight Sept. 2, the 87-year-old pope thanked reporters for accompanying him on the longest trip of his pontificate; he planned to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore before returning to Rome Sept. 13. Although relying heavily on the seat backs and his cane, the pope walked the entire length of the ITA A330, greeting each of the 75 journalists aboard. Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, told reporters to expect Pope Francis to talk in Indonesia about the importance of fidelity to preserving the unity in diversity enshrined in the country’s constitution. While Indonesia has the largest Muslim population of any country in the world, it also is home to Catholics and other Christians, Buddhists and Hindus. The country also boasts of having more than 300 ethnic groups with dozens of languages. The pope’s schedule includes an interreligious meeting at Southeast Asia’s largest mosque as well as opportunities to meet with the nation’s Catholics and to visit some of the social and charitable works they carry out in Jesus’ name. In Indonesia, like the three other island-nations on the trip — Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore — care for the environment is also expected to be a key theme, Bruni told reporters Aug. 30. In fact, Indonesia is in the process of building a new capital city, Nusantara, because Jakarta is sinking below sea level from the excessive withdrawal and use of groundwater to meet the needs of its growing population. Read More Vatican News Embrace ‘deep spiritual bonds’ between Jews and Catholics, says bishop in Yom Kippur message Priests, pastoral leaders have permission to do less, do it better, pope says Pope Leo ends COVID-era salary cuts for cardinals and senior Vatican officials Pope Leo XIV names US bishops’ migration committee chair as new bishop of Joliet, Illinois Vatican document affirms interreligious dialogue as essential to ‘journey of hope’ for humanity Pope Leo warns technology cannot replace the value of human relationships Copyright © 2024 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Print
