Pope, Indonesia Imam Warn Against Using Religion To Stoke Conflict

Pope Francis and a top Indonesian imam warned Thursday against using religion to stoke conflict, before the 87-year-old pontiff holds mass for tens of thousands at a football stadium in Jakarta.

The pope and Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar signed a declaration at Istiqlal Mosque in one of the final major set pieces of Francis's three-day visit to the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, which kicked off a gruelling tour around the Asia-Pacific.

Unity between faiths has been the central theme of the pontiff's trip and the declaration called for "religious harmony for the sake of humanity" at Southeast Asia's biggest mosque.

"The global phenomenon of dehumanisation is marked especially by widespread violence and conflict. It is particularly worrying that religion is often instrumentalised in this regard," it read.

"The role of religion should include promoting and safeguarding the dignity of every human life."

In a speech before leaders of Indonesia's six recognised religions -- Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism -- Francis underlined a message of unity, saying "we are all brothers, all pilgrims, all on our way to God, beyond what differentiates us."

The pope was welcomed to the mosque by a percussion band often used in Islamic ceremonies.

Once seated, he and Nasaruddin listened to a passage from the Koran recited by a young blind girl and a passage from the Bible.

Francis also visited a "tunnel of friendship" that links the mosque to Jakarta's cathedral across the street, signing a section of the tunnel.

The declaration also pinpointed the environmental crisis as a threat to human civilisation and called for "decisive action" to counter global warming.

"The human exploitation of creation, our common home, has contributed to climate change," it read.

It said climate change had led "to various destructive consequences such as natural disasters, global warming and unpredictable weather patterns".

Francis has made several visits to Muslim-majority countries, and on a 2019 visit to the United Arab Emirates signed a document on human brotherhood with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Sunni Islam's prestigious seat of learning.

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

Catholics represent fewer than three percent of the population of Indonesia -- about eight million people, compared with the 87 percent, or 242 million, who are Muslim.

Francis later visited the headquarters of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference where onlookers chanted "Viva Il Papa!".

But the biggest event of his Indonesia leg will be on Thursday afternoon when he will deliver a mass to nearly 80,000 people seated inside Indonesia's main football stadium, with tens of thousands more expected outside.

Devotees poured into the stadium compound hours early after arriving on packed buses, many wearing pope t-shirts and taking group photos with the huge structure in the background.

Indonesia President Joko Widodo arrived at the stadium in the afternoon as preparations continued.

The pontiff will arrive for the mass in a tactical vehicle built by an Indonesian state-run defence company.

Anastasia Ida Ediati, a 59-year-old notary who was heading to the stadium with 200 other members of her parish, said she was filled with joy that she would catch a glimpse of the pope.

"We Catholics have such a charismatic and humble leader. His visit is especially meaningful for us, as many of us who are older may not have this opportunity again," she told AFP.

The mass will conclude the pope's Indonesian stopover of a 12-day trip that has tested his fragile health.

On Friday he will go to Papua New Guinea before stops in East Timor and Singapore in what will be the longest tour of his papacy.

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

Accompanying him to Indonesia are his personal doctor and two nurses, but that is standard procedure.