Humanitarian Declaration, Paragraphs Of The Qur'an And The Bible Will Be Read At The Istiqlal Mosque

JAKARTA - The leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, will visit the Istiqlal Mosque, Central Jakarta, Thursday morning, September 5. The plan, the verses of the Qur'an and the Bible will be read out ahead of the signing of the humanitarian documents with interfaith leaders present this morning. The document will affirm a universal agreement on humanitarian issues.

Based on information obtained by the media, the verse of the Qur'an will be read out in Arabic and will be translated into Indonesian and English.

Meanwhile, the Bible paragraph will be read in Indonesian and will be translated in English. The paragraph to be read, namely Lukas 10: 25-37.

After reading the second paragraph of this holy book, there will be a opening address by the high priest of the Istiqlal Mosque online. Then it will be continued with Pope Francis' speech which will be translated into English. After that there will be a reading of the interfaith interfaith declaration.

It is known that the declaration is about humanity and interfaith unity, including the signing of documents by Pope Francis. The document will affirm a universal agreement on humanitarian issues.

This morning's event will take place outside the Istiqlal Mosque area. This decision is intended to improve the comfort of event arrangements, as well as make it easier for the media to take pictures with the background of the Istiqlal Mosque.

Previously, the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque Nasaruddin Umar said that Pope Francis' visit would later highlight clear evidence of the tolerance that was built between the Cathedral Church and the Istiqlal Mosque. He stated that the Istiqlal Mosque opposite the Jakarta Cathedral Church was a real symbol of harmony connected by the Silaturahmi Tunnel as a strong symbol of interfaith tolerance.

"Istiqlal and Cathedral are not only symbols of tolerance between Islam and Catholicism, but also for all religions, because on a regular basis, both in Istiqlal and Cathedral, interfaith dialogues are often held," said Nasaruddin Umar, on Wednesday.

According to Nasaruddin, Indonesia has a responsibility to show tolerance and peace between religions.

"The Istiqlal Mosque, as a symbol of this spirit, always strives to show an Islamic face that is inclusive and full of love. Through cross-religious cooperation and dialogue, the Istiqlal Mosque continues to promote peace and brotherhood messages," he added.