Sitting in a wheelchair, the 87-year-old pontiff was greeted by President Jokowi and a number of his ministries at the complex. The outgoing leader also introduced the head of the Catholic Church to president-elect Prabowo Subianto, the current Defense Minister, who will be inaugurated as his successor on Oct. 20.

Following a swift ceremony in front of the building, both leaders went inside the Palace’s hall, where the pope delivered his first speech in the ambitious 12-day Asia-Pacific tour that will also include Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore. Interfaith ties are the central theme of his journey in multi-religious, multi-ethnic Indonesia, whose national motto is Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (unity in diversity).

“Harmony in diversity could only be achieved [...] when every ethnic group and religious denomination acts in a spirit of brotherhood while pursuing the noble goal of serving the common good,” the pope said before hundreds of politicians and religious leaders in the Presidential Palace.

Home to Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism, along with hundreds of other indigenous beliefs, Indonesia is widely perceived as a tolerant state. 

However, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country has encountered intolerant acts and religious extremism in past decades, including the notorious Bali bombings in 2002 that saw 202 fatalities.

A girl greets Pope Francis (right) on Sept. 4, 2024, as he arrives at the Grha Pemuda youth center in Jakarta. (AFP/Tiziana Fabi)