Pope makes appeal on extremism as he launches Asia tour

AFP | Jakarta, Indonesia

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Pope Francis appealed Wednesday for religious unity to counter extremism and intolerance, as the longest tour of the 87-year-old's papacy got into full swing in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

On the first full day of his four-nation trip to the Asia-Pacific, the pontiff zeroed in on the role all faiths can play on flashpoint security issues.

"In order to foster a peaceful and fruitful harmony that ensures peace... the Church desires to strengthen interreligious dialogue," the pope said in a speech after meeting President Joko Widodo.

"(Extremists) through the distortion of religion attempt to impose their views by using deception and violence".

The pope also said self-interest was preventing the religious unity he had called for, and was driving wars around the world.

"In various regions we see the emergence of violent conflicts, which are often the result... of the intolerant desire to let one's own interests, one's own position, or one's historical narrative prevail at all costs," he said.

Widodo echoed the pope's remarks.

"Freedom and tolerance is what Indonesia, together with the Vatican want, to spread... in the midst of an increasingly turbulent world," he said.

Indonesia, which is the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, has long struggled with Islamist militancy.

Bombings on the resort island of Bali in 2002 that killed 202 people were the deadliest in Indonesian history and led to a crackdown on militancy.

Catholics represent fewer than three percent of the population of Indonesia -- about eight million people, compared with the 87 percent, or 242 million, who are Muslim.

But they are one of six officially recognised religions or denominations in the nominally secular nation, including Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.

The trip to Indonesia is the third ever by a pope and the first since John Paul II in 1989.

- Fragile health -

The pope's fragile health is set to be tested on the trip, which will also take in Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.

He had not travelled abroad since visiting Marseille in France in September last year.

Accompanying him to Indonesia are his personal doctor and two nurses, but officials said that was standard procedure.

The pontiff appeared refreshed when he arrived in Jakarta from Rome on Tuesday, and again when he met Widodo on Wednesday morning in the tour's first major set piece.

He arrived in a civilian Toyota car, sitting in the front passenger seat before getting out in a wheelchair to greet spectators.

He even joked about the country's birth rate, echoing previous comments he has made about people who choose pets over children being selfish.

"In your country people make three, four or five children, that's an example for every country, while some prefer to only have a cat or a little dog. This can't go well," he said, making Widodo laugh.

He also met Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto, the country's president-elect who takes office next month.

The pontiff stood with a cane during the Indonesian national anthem and while observing a parade.

As he left the palace, dozens waiting outside tried to chase his car.

- Meeting the faithful -

Interfaith ties are the central theme of his Indonesia leg.

He is due to host a meeting Thursday with representatives from all six religions at the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia.

He will sign a joint declaration with the mosque's grand imam focusing on the spread of conflict and environmental degradation.

The pope will on Thursday host a mass at the country's 80,000-seat national football stadium, which Catholics are expected to pack out.

In a sign of solidarity, the religious affairs ministry has called on TV stations to not run daily Muslim dusk prayer videos during the mass.

Before that the pope will try to energise the local Catholic faithful on Wednesday afternoon with an address at Jakarta's cathedral, which sits across the road from the mosque.

"I'm really proud to be a Catholic because my spiritual leader is coming here, and I'm proud to be Indonesian. It's very diverse," Father Mathew Pawai, a 46-year-old priest, told AFP inside the cathedral.

The cathedral, linked to the mosque by a "tunnel of friendship", was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century after a fire.

The pope will end his day with a meeting with young people who are part of a global network of schools, which he established in 2013.