The Ita Airways flight carrying the Pope, the Vatican delegation and 75 journalists landed at Jakarta International Airport shortly before 11:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. in Lisbon), after a 13-hour flight, as scheduled.
The Pope was received at the airfield by Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs, Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, and will spend the rest of the day resting from the flight and getting used to the time difference.
On Wednesday, he will begin his official schedule at the Nunciature, where he will remain in Jakarta for the next few days, and will greet some of the immigrants and poor people served by the Community of Sant’Egidio in the country.
According to the Indonesian authorities, some 4,300 soldiers and 4,700 police officers, as well as snipers, have been deployed to ensure the Pope’s security during the various events in the Asian country between September 3 and 6.
The 87-year-old Catholic leader, who is in poor health, is also accompanied by members of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard.
This is the third pope to visit Indonesia, after Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1989, and Francis is expected to highlight dialogue with Islam and the archipelago’s religions, as well as the fight against climate change.
During the visit, Francis will meet with outgoing President Joko Widodo and religious representatives, as well as take part in an interfaith event at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta and celebrate Mass at the Gelora Bung Karno stadium, which is expected to be attended by 80,000 people.
Catholics make up just 3.1% of Indonesia’s 270 million people, but it remains the third largest Catholic population in Asia, after the Philippines and China, while Muslims make up 89.4%.
Indonesia, which generally practices a moderate form of Islam, has seen a rise in the influence of radical groups in the past two decades, although they have been less active in recent years, according to the EFE news agency. Francis, who has mobility problems that require him to use a wheelchair, will also visit Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, in what is the longest trip he has made as pope.
