Pope Francis Scheduled To Meet Elected Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto

Minister of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia (Win RI) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas. BETWEEN/HO-personal documentation

JAKARTA - The Supreme Leader of the World Catholic Church, Pope Francis, is scheduled to meet with the elected President of the Republic of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto on the agenda of state visits to Indonesia on September 3-6, 2024. "It is planned that, later there will be a meeting with the elected President in one meeting. Technical questions are asked to state protocols," said the Minister of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia (Win RI) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas in Tangerang, Antara, Tuesday, September 3. He said, on an academic trip in Indonesia, it was known that Pope Francis on Wednesday, September 4, would first hold a meeting with President Joko Widodo at the Merdeka Palace. "I did see the rundown, but I didn't know for sure (the time of the meeting, ed)," he said. Yaqut said that the agenda for meeting with President Jokowi would focus on discussing global development issues, including religious tolerance. "And the most important thing in my opinion from all of this process is to strengthen relations between Indonesia and the Vatican. Tomorrow I will update again after the meeting between the two of them," he said. At an important moment at the meeting of Pope Francis and Joko Widodo, the Government will also convey several messages about cultural and religious diversity in Indonesia. "We want to show how Indonesia is different from a lot of religions, a lot of diversity backgrounds, but we can still unite. So that's what we want to convey to him," he explained. As scheduled, Francis as the leader of the world's Catholics will travel avertholics to Asia Pacific in September 2024. There are four countries that will be visited including Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste, and Singapore. Indonesia became the first country visited from September 3 to 6, 2024 and the visit will be recorded as the third trip for the Holy Father of Catholics to Indonesia after Pope Paul VI in 1970 and 1989 when the Roman Catholic Church was led by Pope John Paul II. The journey to the Asia Pacific region for 11 days or to be precise on September 3-13, 2024, will be the longest visit of the 87-year-old Holy Father since 11 years of his leadership. The election of Indonesia as the first country visited by Pope Francis, because in this country with a population of 279 million people and the majority of Muslims, a Christian population of around 20.5 million people with 8.5 million of them are Catholics. After arriving in Indonesia this Tuesday, the next day Pope Francis made a visit to President Joko Widodo at the Merdeka Palace at around 10:00 WIB. Still on the same day, the Pope whose real name is Jorge Mario Bergoglio met with government officials, the diplomatic corps, community leaders and civil society in the State Palace Hall. Almost an hour later or around 11.30 WIB held a private meeting with members of the Jesuit Union at the Nunciantura Apostolic of the Vatican Embassy office in Jakarta.

In the afternoon or 16.30 WIB, the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires is scheduled to meet bishops, priests, directors, monks, seminarists, and preachers at the Church of Maria Lifted to Heaven, the Cathedral Church of Jakarta. Young people from Scholas Occulantes were given the opportunity to meet Pope Francis at the Youth's Youth's Youth's Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth Youth, at 17.35 WIB.