A life-sized cutout of Pope Francis, a papal stamp, and a big billboard were unveiled by Indonesia on Monday in preparation for the pope’s trip in the country with the largest Muslim population.
On Monday afternoon, the pope set off on the longest and furthest tour of his pontificate, spending three nights in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, and then traveling to Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Singapore over the course of a 12-day trip.
The 11 million-person traffic-clogged megalopolis of Indonesia was being organized by the authorities prior to the 87-year-old’s arrival on Tuesday for the high-profile visit, which is expected to be centered around interfaith relations.
The presidential residence, the national football stadium, the international airport, the Jakarta cathedral, and the Istiqlal Mosque, where he will deliver an address, were all shuttered or had their paths altered.
In the heart of Jakarta, a new billboard with the words “Welcome Pope Francis” and “Faith, Fraternity, Compassion” has been erected.
Last week, outgoing President Joko Widodo declared that he would make every effort to spend as much time as possible with the pope.
He said to reporters, “If it is possible, I will accompany him.”
At the primary Catholic place of worship in the nation, the Jakarta Cathedral, followers snapped pictures on Monday with a recently erected life-sized replica of Pope Francis.
There were also religious drawings by schoolchildren and Pope signboards.
The government launched two papal stamp designs to commemorate the visit, and people lined up to purchase them.
For a sheet of 18, the unique stamps will cost postal customers 63,000 rupiah ($4).
But, prior to his arrival, organizers had closed the church to the public, so later on Monday, worshippers and international visitors were being turned away.
The largest mosque in Southeast Asia is located across from the cathedral, and a recently constructed “tunnel of friendship” connects the two.
The pope will be guarded by a security detail consisting of about 4,000 people, including snipers, troops, police, and his security staff.
Six official religions are recognized in Indonesia: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, and Confucianism.
In an editorial published on Monday, the independent Jakarta Post newspaper praised his “Papal Message of Hope” and urged “people of all faiths” to “listen to his wisdom” regarding questions of faith.
After Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1989, Francis will be the third pope to visit Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,500 islands.
