Grand imam, Pope make joint call to fight violence

Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Umar shakes hands with Pope Francis. Pic/AFP

Pope Francis and the grand imam of Southeast Asia's largest mosque vowed Thursday to fight religiously inspired violence and protect the environment, issuing a joint call for interfaith friendship and common cause at the heart of Francis' visit to Indonesia.

In the morning event at Jakarta's iconic Istiqlal Mosque, Francis presided over an interreligious gathering rich with symbolic meaning and personal touches. Present were representatives of the six religions that are officially recognized in Indonesia: Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Catholicism and Protestantism.

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Francis and the grand imam, Nasaruddin Umar, stood at the ground-level entrance to the ‘Tunnel of Friendship', an underpass which connects the mosque compound with the neighboring Roman Catholic cathedral, Our Lady of the Assumption.

The meeting at the mosque showed the personal side of that policy, with Francis and Umar - the 87-year-old pope and the 65-year-old imam - showing a clear affinity for one another.

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