After an overnight flight from Rome, Francis was wheeled off the plane in his wheelchair and onto the tarmac for a welcoming ceremony under Jakarta's perennial hazy, humid and polluted skies
Two children wearing traditional clothes handed him a bouquet of vegetables, fruits, spices and flowers
Francis planned to rest for the remainder of the day, given the rigors of an 11-day voyage zigzagging across time zones that will also take him to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. However, the Vatican said the 87-year-old pope met with a group of refugees, migrants and sick people at the Vatican residence in Jakarta
Outside the residence, he was greeted by well-wishers eager to catch sight of the first pope to visit since St. John Paul II in 1989
Indonesian President Joko Widodo welcomed the pope, saying in a broadcast statement that "Indonesia and the Vatican have the same commitment to fostering peace and brotherhood, as well as ensuring the welfare of humanity"
The highlight of Francis' first stop will be his participation Thursday in an interfaith meeting in Jakarta's iconic Istiqlal mosque with representatives of the six religions that are officially recognised in Indonesia: Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Catholicism and Protestantism
The mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia, sits across a piazza from the capital's main Catholic cathedral, Our Lady of Assumption, and the two are so close to each another that the Muslim call to prayer can be heard during Mass
After an over 13 hour-long flight, the 87-year-old pontiff landed at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten the Jakarta Post reported
Sitting in a wheelchair, Francis disembarked from the plane via a lift and was handed a bouquet of local produce by two children dressed in traditional attire, the Indonesian news publication reported
ADVERTISEMENT
