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Pope Francis arrives in Indonesia to begin ambitious Asia-Pacific tour
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.
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Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas (left) welcomes Pope Francis (center) at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten on Sept. 3, 2024 during the pope's apostolic visit to Asia. (Reuters/Guglielmo Mangiapane)
Pope Francis arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday for the first leg of an ambitious Asia-Pacific tour where he is expected to urge global action on climate change during what will be his longest trip yet.
The 87-year-old pontiff landed at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, on a chartered ITA Airways flight also carrying his entourage and accompanying reporters.
Francis will also visit Timor-Leste, Singapore and Papua New Guinea over the next 10 days.
Sitting in a wheelchair, Francis disembarked from the plane via a lift and was handed a bouquet of local produce by two children dressed in traditional attire.
On a red carpet flanked by honor guards, he was greeted by Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Indonesia’s ambassador to the Vatican and several bishops, before entering a waiting car, waving and smiling as it drove away.
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.
His first official event will come on Wednesday, when he is due to address President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and the country’s political leaders. On Thursday, Francis will take part in an interreligious meeting at Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia.
The Asia-Pacific tour will last 12 days in total and is the longest trip yet by the pontiff, who will have traveled nearly 33,000 kilometers when he arrives back in Rome late evening on Sept. 13.
The pope, who pushed for the 2015 Paris climate agreement, is expected to continue his appeals to confront the dangers of a warming globe.
Jakarta is vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with chronic flooding and sinking land. The government is in the process of building a new capital, Nusantara, in East Kalimantan.
Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, has about 280 million inhabitants, only about 3 percent of them Catholic.
Ahead of the Pope's arrival, President Jokowi said his people warmly welcomed Francis on a visit that had been planned long ago but was delayed by the pandemic.
"This is a very historic visit," he told reporters.
"Indonesia and the Vatican have a similar commitment to cultivate peace and brotherhood as well as ensuring prosperity for the people."
