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REVISIONS on the signature of the declaration; ADDITIONS of the color

Pope Francis warned Thursday against using religion to stir up conflict, in a statement signed with a top Indonesian imam before celebrating Mass before tens of thousands of people in Jakarta.

The signing at the Istiqlal Mosque was one of the last major stops on the 87-year-old’s three-day visit to Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, which kicks off a grueling tour of the Asia-Pacific region.

Religious harmony was the central theme of the pontiff’s trip.

Opening his address at the mosque, the pontiff stressed that “looking deeply… we discover that we are all brothers, all pilgrims, all on the path to God, beyond what differentiates us.

Warning against conflicts fuelled by the instrumentalisation of religion, he also highlighted the environmental crisis as an existential threat to human civilisation during his meeting with leaders of Indonesia’s six official religions.

“We assume the responsibility to respond to the serious crises that threaten the future of humanity, such as wars and conflicts… and to the environmental crisis, which constitutes an obstacle to the growth and coexistence of peoples,” he said.

The pope was welcomed to the mosque by a percussion group often used in Islamic ceremonies and once seated, he and Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar listened to a passage from the Koran recited by a blind girl and a passage from the Bible.

The mosque is located opposite Jakarta Cathedral, connected by a “friendship tunnel” as a symbol of religious brotherhood.

Francis visited the tunnel before the meeting, gave blessings and signed a section of the tunnel.

Nasaruddin told AFP ahead of the meeting that the statement focused on two messages.

“The first… humanity is one, there are no colors. The second, how to save our environment,” he said.

Francis has made several visits to Muslim-majority countries, and during a visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2019, he signed a document on human fraternity with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the prestigious seat of Sunni Islamic learning.

The biggest event of his Indonesian leg will take place on Thursday afternoon, when he will deliver a mass in front of nearly 80,000 people seated inside Indonesia’s main football stadium, with tens of thousands more expected outside.

Many people came from all over Indonesia’s vast island archipelago to attend the event.

Catholics make up less than three percent of Indonesia’s population, or about eight million people, compared with 87 percent, or 242 million, who are Muslim.

But they constitute one of the six officially recognized religions or confessions in this nominally secular country, along with Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.

Some observers have highlighted growing discrimination against religious minorities in Indonesia, particularly Christians in some areas, and there have been calls for the government to take action.

Amnesty International Indonesia called on the Pope to urge Indonesia to respect all minority groups, saying it had recorded 123 cases of intolerance between January 2021 and July 2024.

“The Pope’s visit plays a crucial role in encouraging Indonesia to end intolerance and discrimination against all minority groups,” Usman Hamid said.

“Religious freedom is a right protected by the Indonesian constitution.”

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

The pontiff’s fragile health will be put to the test during this trip. After Indonesia, he will travel to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, in what will be the longest tour of his pontificate.

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

He is accompanied to Indonesia by his personal doctor and two nurses, but this is standard procedure and he appears to be in good health so far.

On Wednesday, he smiled and joked with spectators during his first full day of events after arriving from Rome, during which he met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

He used a wheelchair during the trip, but stood with a cane during the Indonesian national anthem and while watching a parade at a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace.