PBNU Welcomes Pope Francis' Plan To Arrival To Indonesia

PBNU General Chair Yahya Cholil Staquf In Jakarta, Thursday, April 18 (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) Executive Board welcomes the plan to welcome the arrival of Catholic Church Leader Pope Francis to Indonesia which is scheduled for September 3-6, 2024. "PBNU welcomes and is proud of the Pope's presence in Indonesia and we congratulate Catholics in Indonesia on Pope Francis' visit," said PBNU General Chair Yahya Cholil Staquf in Jakarta, Thursday, April 18. The man who is familiarly called Gus Yahya said Pope Francis' visit to Indonesia had been discussed since 2018. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pope's visit was delayed.

When the world recovered, he said, the good news finally came. The Indonesian government continues to make preparations for visits, both with the Holy See of the Vatican and relevant stakeholders.

"Alhamdulillah, now it seems confirmed and scheduled that the Pope will visit Indonesia," he said. PBNU, said Gus Yahya, has recently been involved in direct cooperation on agendas with the Vatican. NU and the leadership of the Catholic Church in the Vatican are both involved in one international movement initiative. Nearby, he said, PBNU has initiated a global conference of R20 to ISORA involving leaders of religions in the world, including the Vatican. These meetings resulted in a global movement for humanity. "The presence of the Pope to Indonesia is hopefully an opportunity to strengthen communication between NU and the Vatican, not just for the lives of religious communities in Indonesia, but joint efforts for global humanity," he said.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kemenlu) said that the visit of the Sri Paus had an important meaning for the Indonesian nation, not only for Catholics, but also for all religious communities. "This visit is expected to strengthen the message of tolerance, unity, and world peace," said a written statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas also confirmed Pope Francis would visit Indonesia in September 2024 and the government had received a notification letter from the Vatican authorities regarding this matter. "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.