Pope Francis and top Indonesian imam make joint call for peace

Speaking at the mosque – the largest in South East Asia – the Pope on Thursday said people from different religions had to know “we are all brothers, all pilgrims, all on our way to God, beyond what differentiates us”.

Humanity is facing a “serious crisis” brought about by war, conflict and the destruction of the environment, he added.

The Pope also visited a 28m (91ft) tunnel that connects Istiqlal mosque to a Catholic cathedral across the street.

He and grand imam Nasaruddin Umar stood at the entrace to the “tunnel of friendship”, which he said was an “eloquent sign” of how people of different beliefs could share roots.

Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim majority country and only 3% of its 275 million are Catholics.

Indonesia has six officially recognised religions — Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism.

The Pope has ahead of him a gruelling schedule of public appreances and meetings with Church leaders in the Asia-Pacific, one of only a few places in the world where the Catholic Church is growing in terms of baptised faithful and religious vocations.

In Indonesia, he has been seen moving around and waving to adoring crowds from his wheelchair, underscoring concerns about his spate of health issues.