The Head of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of the Vatican City State, Pope Francis recently concluded his 3-day Apostolic Journey to Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population, which included a heartwarming show of interfaith friendship and unity.
This is after the Pope and Nasaruddin Umar, the Grand Imam of Southeast Asia’s largest mosque, Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque embraced and issued a joint call for interfaith friendship and common cause.
Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque embrace and urge for interfaith unityÂ
According to the Associated Press, the meeting at the Istiqlal Mosque saw the 87-year-old Pope and 65-year-old Imam embracing each other. As Pope Francis was leaving his wheelchair, Umar bent down and kissed Francis on the head and afterwards, the Pope grasped Umar’s hand, kissed it and held it to his cheek.
During the event at the mosque, Pope Francis presided over an interreligious gathering which included representatives of the 6 religions that are officially recognised in Indonesia, which are Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Catholicism and Protestantism.
Umar and Francis then stood at the ground-level entrance of the Istiqlal Mosque to the “Tunnel of Friendship”, an underpass connecting the mosque with the neighbouring Catholic cathedral, Our Lady of the Assumption.
Representatives of the 6 religions then launched a new initiative, called the “Istiqlal Declaration” at a formal ceremony in the tent on the Istiqlal Mosque compound.
The document asserts that religion should never be abused to justify violence but should instead be used to resolve conflicts and protect and promote human dignity.
Furthermore, the declaration also called for decisive actions to protect the environment and its resources.
Awesome! So, what do you guys think of this interreligious show of unity? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.Â
