By UCA News Reporter
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Pope Francis will sign a historic document during his visit to the Muslim-majority nation next week, a leading Islamic leader in Indonesia has said.
Nasaruddin Umar, the Grand Imam (priest) of the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, said the document will address “humanitarian, tolerance, and environmental issues.”
He said it would be finalized in the next few days, while participating in a discussion organized by the Ministry of Communications on Aug. 26.
The document will be signed during the pope’s visit to Southeast Asia’s largest mosque on Sept. 5.
“Istiqlal Mosque will witness this historic event, where the world can see that tolerance and harmony are upheld in Indonesia,” Umar said.
He said the mosque, located opposite the Our Lady of the Assumption Cathedral, has strong historical and symbolic value.
The 87-year-old pope’s visit to Indonesia is scheduled for Sept. 3-6. During the visit, Francis is expected to meet President Joko Widodo.
Father Thomas Ulun Ismoyo, spokesman for the Pope Francis Visit Committee from the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, said 150 religious leaders attended the meeting at the Ministry of Communication.
Ismoyo added that since the proposed document concerns “faith and humanity,” we supported the plan to sign it.
He said that when influential religious leaders unite, it serves the “common good” of society.
Indonesia has an estimated 270 million population, making it the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. The country has about 24 million Christians, including 7 million Catholics.
The world’s largest archipelago, consisting of about 17,508 islands, is also home to more than 360 tribal communities.
Despite the government’s 2023 Interfaith Harmony Index showing a high national score of 76.02, rights groups say religious intolerance remains a concern.
From 2007-2023, Indonesia recorded 573 cases of disruption of religious worship of minority communities by Islamic conservatives, according to a 2023 report from the spiritual freedom advocacy organization the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace.
The institute said such disruptions included the dissolution and rejection of worship activities, intimidation, vandalism, and arson attacks.
