Pope Francis begins Asia-Pacific tour, calls for greater religious unity

Pope Francis said that inter-religious relations must be strengthened to combat extremism and intolerance.

Pope Francis (left) and Indonesian President Joko Widodo attend a welcoming ceremony at the Istana Merdeka Presidential Palace in Jakarta, September 4. (Source: AP)

AFP news agency reported that the Vatican leader made the statement on September 4, when he began his Asia-Pacific tour with the first stop in Indonesia, where the majority of people are Muslims.

Speaking after meeting Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Pope Francis affirmed: "Interreligious dialogue is indispensable to face common challenges, including combating extremism and intolerance."

According to the head of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics, the Church "wants to strengthen interreligious dialogue to promote harmony and effectiveness in ensuring peace".

Pope Francis will visit Indonesia for three days, as part of a 12-day trip to the country, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Singapore.

On his first working day in Indonesia, Pope Francis met with leaders, political and religious officials of the host country.

The visit is seen as an opportunity for the Pope to encourage the Catholic community - which accounts for only about 3% of the population in Indonesia - to promote inter-religious relations, peace and harmony in the country with the world's largest Muslim community.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/giao-hoang-francis-bat-dau-cong-du-chau-a-thai-binh-duong-keu-goi-tang-cuong-doan-ket-ton-giao-284982.html