PHOTOS: Pope Francis in Indonesia for his 45th Apostolic Journey

On the pope’s first full day of public appearances in Indonesia on Wednesday, he called upon the political leaders of the world’s largest Muslim-majority country to protect the country’s delicate balance of many cultures and religions by respecting the human rights of all, including minorities. The pope also commended the country’s high birth rate, joking that in the West, some families “prefer to have only a cat or a little dog” to children.

On Thursday morning, Pope Francis met with beneficiaries of charitable organizations at the headquarters of the Indonesia Bishops’ Conference in the country’s capital. He reminded those gathered that each of them “are the most precious members of this Church” who have a specific contribution to give to the universal Church, the world, and their families.

The Holy Father also visited the grounds of Southeast Asia’s largest mosque on Thursday for an interfaith meeting, where he signed a joint declaration condemning religious-based violence with Muslim leader Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar.

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That evening, more than 100,000 worshippers participated in Pope Francis’ celebration of Mass at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta. The Holy Father encouraged the country’s Catholics to always listen to the word of God — especially in times of weariness, disappointment, and failure.

Upon entering the stadium in a wheelchair, Pope Francis was immediately greeted by loud cheers and cries of “Viva Papa!” from a 60,000-strong crowd at the Mass celebrated in Latin and Bahasa Indonesian. Tens of thousands who could not fit in the stadium gathered in a nearby venue.