Ministry Of Religion Says Pope Francis Will Visit Indonesia September 3

Pope Francis. (Ashen Vaswani-Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis, is reported to be visiting Indonesia on September 3. This was conveyed by the Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas in an official statement from the Ministry of Religion. The Minister of Religion emphasized that the government had received a notification letter from the Vatican authorities regarding Pope Francis' planned arrival. "Based on a letter from the Vatican received by the Government of Indonesia, Pope Francis will be present on September 3, 2024. This is certainly an honor for the Indonesian nation," said Minister of Religion Yaqut as quoted by Antara, Sunday, March 31.

According to the Minister of Religion, President Joko Widodo has been waiting for the arrival of the supreme leader of the Catholics. "In June 2022, I delivered an invitation letter from President Jokowi to Pope Francis. Alhamdulillah, after almost two years of waiting, Pope Francis was finally able to attend Indonesia. I think this is also a special gift for Catholics in particular," he said. Pope Francis hopes that during his visit later Pope Francis can witness the diversity and brotherhood among religious believers who grow in the midst of Indonesian society. "Indonesia is able to maintain tolerance and peace between religious adherents, including hundreds of local religious communities. We hope that Pope Francis can see this diversity in Indonesia," he said.