Pope Francis arrives in Jakarta, Indonesia

 

Pope Francis has arrived in Jakarta, beginning his 45th apostolic journey abroad, in Asia and Oceania.

The flight arrived a few minutes early at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the Indonesian capital, around 11:19 a.m. local time.

The papal flight, operated by ITA-Airways, carrying the Pope and the journalists accompanying him on his trip, left Rome Fiumicino International Airport at 5.32pm local time on Monday afternoon.

On board the plane, the Holy Father greeted individually the journalists accompanying him.

Once landed, the Holy Father was warmly welcomed in Jakarta.

Although he will take a leisurely day on Tuesday, with no public events scheduled, the Pope will have several appointments in the capital on Wednesday, to kick off his intense 12-day visit.

Nevertheless, shortly after his arrival at the apostolic nunciature in Jakarta, Pope Francis met privately with refugees welcomed by the Jesuit Refugee Service, orphaned children raised by Dominican nuns, as well as the elderly, refugees and homeless accompanied by the Indonesian Community of Sant’Egidio.

The Holy Father will spend three nights in Jakarta before continuing his Asian visit, the longest of his pontificate so far, to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.

The Pope will be welcomed by the cardinals of each country, three of whom were created cardinals by Pope Francis himself, as the first Eminences of their countries.

● Indonesia

Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, is a vast country made up of numerous islands, approximately 17,000, and numerous tribes, ethnic groups, languages ​​and cultures.

Before Pope Francis, two Popes had visited the country: Pope Saint Paul VI in 1970 and Pope Saint John Paul II in 1989.

This apostolic visit to Southeast Asia is a visit that Pope Francis was eagerly awaiting before the pandemic.

Since Indonesia is widely regarded as a model of tolerance and coexistence, the Pope, who wrote his encyclical Fratelli tutti on human fraternity, will likely continue to promote human fraternity and interreligious dialogue.

Although Catholics make up about 3 percent of the predominantly Muslim population, that 3 percent still represents about 8 million Catholics out of the country’s 280 million people, based on respect for individuals and their diverse religious beliefs.

In Jakarta, the Pope will take part in an interreligious meeting at the Istiqlal Mosque and celebrate Mass for the country’s Catholics.

In an interview with Vatican News, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo of Jakarta suggested that it is very common for men and women of different faiths, such as Catholics and Muslims, to marry, which is not typical in other Muslim-majority countries. He also noted that priests often come from families where one parent is Muslim or Buddhist.

For all these reasons, it is appropriate that Pope Francis travels here with the motto “Faith, Brotherhood, Compassion.”

A look at Asia
Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), told Vatican News that for the faithful in Asia the Pope sometimes seems like a distant and “social” presence, so his concrete presence among them has great significance.

Asians, he lamented, suffer varying degrees of political oppression, poverty, and climate devastation, as well as religious persecution or lack of religious freedom. As a result, he explained, they often migrate to other countries, where, he said, they keep their faith alive and, in doing so, are in a sense “missionaries,” as they bring renewed hope and zeal to these “new homes.”

Papua New Guinea
Pope St. John Paul II visited Papua New Guinea in 1984 and now, exactly 40 years later, Pope Francis is following in his footsteps.

Papua New Guinea is a majority Christian nation: approximately one in three people is Catholic.

In addition to extending his personal closeness to those approximately 2 million Catholics, the Pope will also acknowledge and show his closeness to those suffering from natural disasters, largely triggered by the climate crisis, and poverty. Pope Francis has made several appeals for help to the Pacific island nation after it suffered a devastating 6.9 magnitude earthquake on March 25, 2024.

In the capital Port Moresby, highlights of the program include the Papal Mass and the Pope’s meeting with children from the Street and Callan pastoral services at the Caritas Technical Secondary School.

Although the Holy Father will remain in the capitals of each nation for the entire duration of his Apostolic Journey, during his visit to Papua New Guinea he has also decided to reach the coastal town of Vanimo, where he will meet privately with missionaries and local faithful.

East Timor
The next stop on the apostolic journey will be East Timor, the most Catholic nation in Asia.

Over 96 percent of the country is Catholic in this former Portuguese colony. The last Pope to visit the country was Pope St. John Paul II in 1989, when East Timor was still under Indonesian occupation.

Under the motto “Let faith be your culture,” Pope Francis will celebrate Mass in the country, make a special visit to children with disabilities, and meet with his Jesuit brothers.

Cardinal Virgilio do Carmo da Silva of Dili, appointed the country’s first cardinal by Pope Francis in August 2022, told Vatican News that “one of the urgent needs we must pay attention to is the young people who leave our country because of poverty and unemployment” and that the Church is studying “how to provide assistance to those who have left their homeland.”
Singapore
And finally, Pope Francis will visit the island nation of Singapore, commonly considered an international trading hub.
The Holy Father follows in the footsteps of Pope St. John Paul II, who visited the country in 1986.

Catholics make up about six percent of Singapore’s population, or approximately 395,000 believers.

Yet Cardinal William Goh, who was named Singapore’s first cardinal in that same consistory on August 27, 2022, explained to Vatican News that they are, nevertheless, “quite a powerful force,” saying in effect that if their Catholic churches were fuller, “they would have to build more.” He acknowledged that there are not many vocations there, as there is not that tendency for men to be attracted to vocations to escape poverty, given the widespread wealth among members of the population.

He also said that the faithful, who are quite educated, have quite high standards regarding what is offered by their parish, especially regarding homilies.

During his stay in Singapore, the Pope will also have an interreligious meeting with the young people of the Catholic Junior College and celebrate Mass. [Vatican News]

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