02:15Pope Francis arrived in Jakarta on Monday marking the start of his tour of the Asia-Pacific, his longest trip to date.
Footage shows the country’s officials and church representatives gathered at Soekarno-Hatta Airport for the welcome ceremony. The pontiff, seated in a wheelchair, can be seen receiving flowers from a child wearing a traditional costume.
The 87-year-old pontif announced the beginning of his 45th 'Apostolic Journey to several countries in Asia and Oceania' in his post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
"Please pray that this journey may bear fruit," he wrote.
Meanwhile, Indonesian President Joko Widodo welcomed the 'historic' visit, noting that his country and the Vatican were united in 'fostering peace, brotherhood, and the well-being of humanity'.
"I hope that the Pope's four-day visit will be an important milestone in strengthening interfaith dialogue in Indonesia." he commented on X.
Previously, Pope St. Paul VI and Pope St. John Paul II visited the country in 1970 and 1989, respectively.
The 10-day-long visit is set to call for global action on climate change. After spending three nights in Jakarta, Francis is expected to travel on to East Timor, Singapore and Papua New Guinea.
Indonesia is a Muslim-majority country, with 24 million Christians constituting 10 percent of the population, while Catholics make up about three percent of the whole population.
Long time no See! Pope Francis arrives in Jakarta as four-nation Asia-Pacific trip kicks off
Pope Francis arrived in Jakarta on Monday marking the start of his tour of the Asia-Pacific, his longest trip to date.
Footage shows the country’s officials and church representatives gathered at Soekarno-Hatta Airport for the welcome ceremony. The pontiff, seated in a wheelchair, can be seen receiving flowers from a child wearing a traditional costume.
The 87-year-old pontif announced the beginning of his 45th 'Apostolic Journey to several countries in Asia and Oceania' in his post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
"Please pray that this journey may bear fruit," he wrote.
Meanwhile, Indonesian President Joko Widodo welcomed the 'historic' visit, noting that his country and the Vatican were united in 'fostering peace, brotherhood, and the well-being of humanity'.
"I hope that the Pope's four-day visit will be an important milestone in strengthening interfaith dialogue in Indonesia." he commented on X.
Previously, Pope St. Paul VI and Pope St. John Paul II visited the country in 1970 and 1989, respectively.
The 10-day-long visit is set to call for global action on climate change. After spending three nights in Jakarta, Francis is expected to travel on to East Timor, Singapore and Papua New Guinea.
Indonesia is a Muslim-majority country, with 24 million Christians constituting 10 percent of the population, while Catholics make up about three percent of the whole population.
Pope Francis arrived in Jakarta on Monday marking the start of his tour of the Asia-Pacific, his longest trip to date.
Footage shows the country’s officials and church representatives gathered at Soekarno-Hatta Airport for the welcome ceremony. The pontiff, seated in a wheelchair, can be seen receiving flowers from a child wearing a traditional costume.
The 87-year-old pontif announced the beginning of his 45th 'Apostolic Journey to several countries in Asia and Oceania' in his post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.
"Please pray that this journey may bear fruit," he wrote.
Meanwhile, Indonesian President Joko Widodo welcomed the 'historic' visit, noting that his country and the Vatican were united in 'fostering peace, brotherhood, and the well-being of humanity'.
"I hope that the Pope's four-day visit will be an important milestone in strengthening interfaith dialogue in Indonesia." he commented on X.
Previously, Pope St. Paul VI and Pope St. John Paul II visited the country in 1970 and 1989, respectively.
The 10-day-long visit is set to call for global action on climate change. After spending three nights in Jakarta, Francis is expected to travel on to East Timor, Singapore and Papua New Guinea.
Indonesia is a Muslim-majority country, with 24 million Christians constituting 10 percent of the population, while Catholics make up about three percent of the whole population.