Pope Francis and the Supreme Imam of Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Umar, vowed to fight religious violence and protect the environment in a joint appeal, according to AP News.
Francis went to the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, where an interfaith meeting was held with representatives of the six religions officially recognised in Indonesia: Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Catholicism, and Protestantism.
Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, promoted the Tunnel of Friendship as a tangible sign of its commitment to religious freedom. It is enshrined in the constitution but has been challenged by repeated incidents of discrimination and violence against religious minorities.
Between January 2021 and July 2024, there were at least 123 cases of intolerance, including the closure or destruction of places of worship and physical attacks, Amnesty International noted ahead of Francis’ visit.
Francis made improving ties between Catholics and Muslims a feature of his papacy and prioritised trips to Muslim-majority countries to promote a peace agenda.
Istiqlal Declaration
A new initiative launched on Thursday under the title The Istiqlal Declaration becomes another pillar of Francis’ interfaith movement. It was signed by Francis and Umar at an official ceremony on the grounds of the Istiqlal Mosque.
The document states that religion should never be misused to justify violence, but instead should serve to resolve conflicts and protect and promote human dignity. It also calls for “decisive action” to protect the environment and its resources, and blames human actions for the current climate crisis.
The human exploitation of creation, our common home, has contributed to climate change, leading to various destructive consequences such as natural disasters, global warming and unpredictable weather patterns. This ongoing environmental crisis has become an obstacle to the harmonious coexistence of peoples.
The climate issue is of existential importance to Indonesia, a tropical archipelago stretching across the equator and home to the world’s third largest rainforest and a host of endangered wildlife and plants.
The interfaith meeting was the culmination of Francis’ visit to Indonesia, ending later on Thursday with a big Mass at a stadium in Jakarta. Catholics make up about 3 per cent of Indonesia’s population of 275 million, but the country is home to the world’s largest Catholic seminary. It has long been a major source of priests and nuns for the Catholic Church.
On Friday, Francis will travel to Papua New Guinea for the second stage of his trip, one of the longest and furthest he has travelled in the history of the papacy. The trip will also take him to East Timor and Singapore before concluding on 13 September.
