In anticipation of the pontiff’s imminent arrival, the Archbishop of Jakarta announced that a joint declaration with the Grand Imam of the mosque will be made on September 5, in the spirit of the Abu Dhabi document. Once the maximum capacity of 88,000 faithful has been reached for the mass at the stadium, many others will follow it via streaming in the parishes. To facilitate travel, the Jakarta Authority has decreed a smart work day in all departments.
Jakarta () – With just a few days to go before the arrival of Pope Francis, who is expected in Jakarta on the evening of 3 September, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo and the president of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, Msgr. Antonius Subianto Bunjamin, Bishop of Bandung, presented the long-awaited event at a press conference yesterday. The Archbishop of Jakarta invited people to consider Pope Francis’ visit as a “beacon of hope to promote good relations between different religious groups.”
The cardinal announced that during the meeting to be held on 5 September at the Istiqlal Mosque – the great mosque located on the same square as the cathedral, where as a sign of friendship a tunnel linking the two places of worship is also about to be inaugurated – he will sign, together with the Grand Imam of the mosque, Nazaruddin Umar, a document inspired by the Abu Dhabi Declaration on Human Fraternity.
“The interfaith meeting at the Grand Mosque – explained Card. Suharyo – will clearly reflect the social harmony with the world of Islam that Pope Francis has always sought. Indonesian Muslims strongly support this mission. And on the occasion of the visit they also supported the publication of a book entitled in Latin Hail, Peregrinans Speiin which dozens of Muslim personalities pay tribute to the pontiff.”
For his part, Bishop Subianto said that 88,000 faithful will be allowed to attend the mass that will be held at the stadium on the same day, and will participate in the celebration from the stands and in another external area equipped with giant screens where Pope Francis will also be present. Many more would have liked to attend, but were invited to follow the event via streaming in the parishes of Jakarta, because the facilities could not accommodate a larger number of people. To facilitate the movement of the faithful to the stadium, the Jakarta Authority has also decreed a day of smart-working in all public offices for September 5.
“Around 800 priests, the two Indonesian cardinals, 34 Indonesian bishops, 10 bishops from other Asian countries and an Australian bishop, as well as the Vatican entourage, will concelebrate with Pope Francis,” added the president of the Episcopal Conference. “More than 700 Indonesian journalists will cover the Pope’s visit and three of them will also be on the plane that will take the Pope to Jakarta from Rome.”
“We sincerely thank the central government of Indonesia, the Jakarta Authority, the nunciature and the hundreds of volunteers – concluded Mgr. Subianto – for the work they are doing to ensure that Pope Francis’ visit goes off without a hitch.”
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