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The Holy Father on Tuesday landed in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta, the first stop on what is to be the longest international voyage of his pontificate to date.
“Proclaiming the Gospel … [means] giving and sharing the joy of encountering Christ always with great respect and fraternal affection for everyone,” he said.
The Indonesian government has confirmed the country will be the first destination in the 87-year-old pontiff’s apostolic journey to the Asia Pacific region Sept. 2–13.
Pope Francis will travel to the Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore later this year, the Vatican announced Friday.
There is need for governments, including those in Africa, to have in place a “culture of a strong legal basis” to address the challenge of religious extremism, a Catholic Bishop in Nigeria has said.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo condemned a bomb attack at a Catholic cathedral after a Palm Sunday Mass that killed two suspects and wounded at least 20 people.