Religious Affairs Minister Is in Vatican, Invites Pope to Indonesia

TheIndonesia.id - Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas is visiting the Vatican and has confirmed that the Ministry is inviting Pope Francis to pay a visit to Indonesia.

Minister Qoumas said the Pope has been planning to come to Indonesia and meet the millions of Catholics in the country, but the plan has yet to be realized.

“We’re in the Vatican to invite Pope Francis to meet the Catholics in Indonesia and to witness the country’s diversity. The Pope previously planned to visit Indonesia, but it had to be canceled due to the pandemic,” the Minister said in a statement on Wednesday, June 8.

On Tuesday, the Minister made a visit to the Vatican to meet Indonesians residing in the state and in Rome, Italy, including students and nuns.

The meeting was held by the Indonesian Embassy in Rome and was attended by Indonesian Ambassador Laurentius Amrih Jinangkung and leader of Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Yahya Cholil Staquf.

On the occasion, Qoumas revealed that the Ministry is planning to make 2022 the Year of Tolerance.

“We want to make Indonesia the benchmark for a harmonious religious community that live in diversity, whose members are tolerant and respect differences,” the Minister said.

Previously, Qoumas had also announced that he wanted to invite the Pope to Indonesia.

"I want to bring Pope Francis to Indonesia to see firsthand the beauty of diversity in Indonesia as well as to greet Indonesian Catholics directly," he said on March 8.

"Hopefully after normal conditions, he can come to Indonesia,” he added.