Watch as Pope Francis meets bishops, priests and young people during his visit to Jakarta, Indonesia, on Wednesday 4 September.
The pontiff today urged political leaders on the earth’s most populous Muslim-majority country to protect against religious extremism, which he said distorted people’s religious beliefs through “deception and violence”.
In his first speech during an ambitious 12-day journey across Southeast Asia, where Christians are a small minority of the regional population, the pope said the Catholic Church would increase its efforts toward inter-religious dialogue in hopes of helping tamp down extremism.
“In this fashion, prejudices might be eliminated, and a climate of mutual respect and trust can grow,” the 87-year-old said in an address to some 300 politicians and non secular leaders at Jakarta’s Merdeka Presidential Palace.
“This is indispensable for meeting common challenges, including that of countering extremism and intolerance, which through the distortion of faith try to impose their views by utilizing deception and violence.”
Indonesia has a population of about 280 million people and is estimated to be about 87 per cent Muslim. Freedom of faith is guaranteed within the country’s structure.
