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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 in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country to guard 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 way, prejudices can 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 religious 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 religion attempt to impose their views by using deception and violence.”
Indonesia has a population of about 280 million people and is estimated to be about 87 per cent Muslim. Freedom of religion is guaranteed in the country’s constitution.