THE delicate and complex relationship between the nation’s Muslim and Catholic communities will be put in the spotlight, as Pope Francis visits Indonesia this week
Indonesia is home to the world’s largest Muslim population, making up nearly 90 per cent of the country.
The country’s Christian population totals 29 million, and is scattered across the archipelago’s 17,000 islands.
In the capital of Jakarta, the city’s cathedral and mosque are across the street from each other, and even share a car park.
Baso Darmawan, an Indonesian Catholic, said he did not think twice about making the sign of the cross before meals in public.
He said that living alongside Muslims could be an everyday reminder of his own faith.
“With the Muslims praying five times a day, sometimes I use their prayer call as a reminder for me to pray the Angelus or the Office of the Hours,” he said.
He said that the pope’s visit would be a “blessing for Indonesia”.
Indonesia’s religious pluralism is a focal point amongst official authorities, with the Catholic population a devout and committed minority.
St Peter Major Seminary on the island of Flores is amongst the world’s largest seminaries by enrollment.
Yanuar Nugroho, a Catholic who works in the Indonesian government’s Ministry of National Development Planning, said he had never faced religious discrimination.
“I think for the Catholics in Indonesia, the Pope’s visit is in a way strengthening not just the faith, but also the unity,” Mr Nugroho said.
However, the rise of radical religious and political groups in recent years have drawn concerns over Indonesia’s pluralism.
In 2021, two suicide bombers attacked Sacred Heart Cathedral in Makassar during a Palm Sunday Mass, wounding 20 people.
According to the national police chief, the two attackers were believed to have been a part of an Islamic State affiliated group.
While in Jakarta, the pope will visit both the cathedral and the Istiqlal Mosque, where he will take part in an interfaith meeting with representatives of the six officially recognized religions in Indonesia: Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Catholicism, and Protestantism.
