Pope Francis praised Indonesians on Wednesday for their large families and suggested that people in other countries are choosing to have pets rather than bring up children.

The events are the final major set pieces of the pontiff's three-day visit to Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world, that is kicking off a gruelling tour around the Asia-Pacific.

Francis, who is widely viewed as a progressive pontiff, faced a backlash in 2022 for suggesting couples who have pets instead of children are selfish and a threat to humanity.

Pope Francis kicked off the second day of his papal visit to Indonesia on Wednesday by meeting President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta, where he addressed the importance of strengthening the nation’s unity and interfaith ties to combat religious extremism and intolerance.

From sending blessings through telegrams to heads of state whose countries he passes over to riding in a car commonly used by regular Indonesians, Pope Francis has shown a display of humility during his visit to Jakarta, which Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas said should be an example for the people.

The surgeon, situated in Bali, successfully performed a surgery on a patient in Jakarta with the help of robotic arms connected in a high-speed network connection, making the first operation on humans conducted remotely in Southeast Asia.

The suggestion from the Religious Affairs Ministry was made following a request from the papal visit committee to replace the adzan (Islamic call to prayer) broadcasts, so it won't disrupt the live broadcasting of Pope Francis-led Mass in Jakarta on Thursday evening.

With its relatively low costs, Commuter Line has been favored by many; it helps transport nearly 800,000 passengers within Jakarta and across neighboring cities of Bekasi, Bogor, Depok and Tangerang in a day.

Pope Francis said Wednesday interreligious ties must be "strengthened" to fight extremism and intolerance, as he kicked off his Asia-Pacific tour with a stop in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

The pope is scheduled to meet President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the State Palace on Wednesday, in the first major set piece of his tour, followed by a speech to officials and diplomats, in which he is expected to touch on religious harmony in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

Various religious organizations in Indonesia welcome Pope Francis to Jakarta with messages of hope that the papal visit, the first in over three decades, will provide an example for interreligious harmony in the country and also the world.

Authorities have been ramping up mitigation measures against the spread of mpox as three suspected cases are reportedly found in Jakarta, with one case being closely monitored at a health facility and the other two undergoing self-isolation at home.

State-owned postal service Pos Indonesia has unveiled a set of stamps to celebrate the much-awaited visit of Pope Francis to Jakarta.

The aging pope was not scheduled to attend any public events on Tuesday to allow time for him to rest after a 13-hour overnight flight from Rome.

Indonesia's main international airport is requiring all inbound travelers to sign up with the SatuSehat electronic health pass prior to departure as part of a broader government policy to prevent the spread of mpox, especially the latest, more virulent clade Ib variant.

As AMR emerges as a global health concern, the government has launched a new strategy to better regulate and monitor the appropriate use of antimicrobials, including through public education, in both medicine and animal husbandry.

When Pope Francis visits Indonesia next week, he will stop by a mosque in Jakarta that has an unusual feature – a tunnel connecting it to the city's Catholic cathedral, as part of a push for interfaith harmony on his 12-day Asia-Pacific tour.

The plan, which appears in the draft state budget for 2025, would require riders to submit their personal information, including their identity card numbers (NIK), to purchase travel cards for the Commuter Line. Operators would then impose different prices based on the passenger’s income.

The Financial Services Authority (OJK) plans to blacklist online gamblers to stop them from using financial services in Indonesia.

The government has once again delayed the implementation of the long-awaited excise tax on sweetened beverages despite growing demands to curb rising obesity and diabetes in the country.

The Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry stressed the need to educate the public about the health risks of high-sugar content foods and drinks.

A shipment of 1,600 vaccine doses, the second from the Scandinavian country, is expected to arrive next week, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Tuesday.

While gambling is illegal in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation -- with sentences of up to six years in prison -- government figures show around 3.7 million Indonesians engaged in it last year, placing more than $20 billion in bets.

The health minister announced on Tuesday that the government was reactivating the COVID-era health tracking system, previously known as PeduliLindungi, as part of its preventive measures against mpox.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat Heru Budi Hartono, who also serves as acting Jakarta governor, said on Monday that citizens should preferably stay home on Sept. 5, or use alternative routes prepared by the city administration if choosing to travel. 

The commission has found evidence that the judges violated the code of ethics for acquitting Gregorius Ronald Tannur, a defendant accused of killing his girlfriend in East Java, following a probe into the trial and the case. 

Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) cofounder Jusuf Wanandi has received the Achmad Bakrie Award for his work in social thought, democracy and international relations.

More than 200 children died of the injury and about 120 more survived, some of whom lived with disabilities which led to financial hardships for their parents.

The Health Ministry has prepared more than 4,000 doses of mpox vaccines and readied dozens of laboratories across the country to test the viral disease, amid the latest global emergency status following the surge of cases in Africa and other regions.

IDI pushes for cultural change to address bullying of residents in PPDS scheme.