Pope Francis Commits to Fighting Religious Violence and Protecting the Environment

Inter-Religious Meeting at Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia

By Nicole Winfield and Edna Tarigan

JAKARTA, Indonesia, September 5 (AP) – Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Umar, have committed to fighting against religiously inspired violence and protecting the environment during an inter-religious meeting at the mosque.

The meeting, attended by representatives of the six religions officially recognized in Indonesia – Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Catholicism, and Protestantism – was a highlight of the Pope’s 11-day trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania.

The Pope and the Grand Imam stood at the entrance of the “Friendship Tunnel,” an underground passage that connects the mosque complex to the Catholic cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. The tunnel is a symbol of Indonesia’s commitment to religious freedom, which is enshrined in its constitution.

Francis urged Indonesians of all confessions to “walk in search of God and contribute to building open societies, based on mutual respect and mutual love, which can isolate rigidity, fundamentalism, and extremism, which are always dangerous and can never be justified.”

The meeting was marked by an emotional moment when a visually impaired Indonesian teenager, Kayla Nur Syahwa, recited verses from the Koran about tolerance between followers of different religions.

The Pope and the Grand Imam signed a joint declaration, known as the “Joint Istiqlal Declaration,” which states that religion should never be abused to justify violence, but should be used to resolve conflicts and protect human dignity. The declaration also calls for “decisive action” to protect the environment and its resources.

Francis has made improving relations between Catholics and Muslims a feature of his papacy and is prioritizing travel to Muslim-majority countries. The fight against climate change has been an important priority for the Argentine Jesuits, who have published encyclopedias emphasizing the moral need to take care of God’s creation.

The meeting in the mosque was the highlight of Francis’ visit to Indonesia, which will end with a large mass in a stadium in Jakarta. Catholics make up only three percent of the 275 million people in the country, which has the largest Catholic seminaries in the world.

Francis is the third pontiff to visit Indonesia after Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1989. On Friday, he will fly to Papua New Guinea for the second leg of the trip, one of the longest and most distant in papal history.