Pope Francis arrived in Indonesia on Tuesday for the first leg of an ambitious Asia-Pacific tour.
The Pope Will Urge Global Action On Climate Change
During his visit, he is expected to urge global action on climate change.
The 87-year-old pontiff landed at Jakarta’s Soekarno–Hatta airport on a chartered ITA Airways flight.
The flight also carried his entourage and accompanying reporters.
Francis will also visit East Timor, Singapore and Papua New Guinea over the next 10 days.
Pope Francis Gets A Warm Reception
Sitting in a wheelchair, Francis disembarked from the plane via a lift.
Two children dressed in traditional Indonesian attire handed a bouquet of local produce to him.
Indonesia’s religious affairs minister, its ambassador to the Vatican and several of the country’s bishops, greeted Pope Francis on a red carpet flanked by honour guards.
After this, the Pope entered a waiting car, waved and smiled as it drove away.
As his motorcade passed through Jakarta towards the Vatican embassy, where he is staying, small crowds of people were seen waving excitedly.
Indonesians Were Overwhelmed Seeing Pope Francis
“I’m so happy, I feel so blessed,” said Enny Rahail, 52, who travelled 3,000 km (1,860 miles) to Jakarta from her home in southeast Maluku before standing for two hours in mid-day heat to wave to the pope outside the embassy.
“As Indonesians we are happy because the Catholic leader comes to our country,” said Enny, who called Francis an “advocate for peace”.
No Public Events On Tuesday
The ageing pope will not attend any public events on Tuesday.
This was to ensure that he had time to rest after a 13-hour overnight flight from Rome.
Address To Indonesian Leaders
His first official event will come on Wednesday, when he is due to address Indonesia’s political leaders.
On Thursday, Francis will take part in an inter-religious meeting at Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia.
Asia-Pacific Tour Spread Over 12 Days
The Asia-Pacific tour will last 12 days in total and is the longest trip yet by the pontiff.
Pope Francis will have travelled nearly 33,000 km (20,505 miles) when he arrives back in Rome late evening on September 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.
The Indonesian Capital Is Vulnerable To The Impacts Of Climate Change
Jakarta, the Indonesian capital of at least 10 million people, 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, on Borneo island.
Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, has about 280 million inhabitants.
Only about three per cent of them are Catholic.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo Describes Pope Francis Visit As Historic
Ahead of the Pope’s arrival, Indonesian President Joko Widodo 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 ensure prosperity for the people.”
(With Inputs From Reuters)
