Pope Francis will arrive at Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, the biggest mosque in Southeast Asia, tomorrow morning, where he will sign an important document with the grand imam, Nasaruddin Umar.
Pope Francis’ second day in Indonesia involved two major events: a meeting with political and religious authorities and an encounter with the Catholic bishops, clergy and catechists at the cathedral.
In an interview with America, Father Markus Solo spoke about the reasons why Indonesia’s government and its Catholic and Muslim leaders wanted Francis to visit the country, which he described as “young and dynamic.”
In a wide-ranging conversation, Pope Francis also repeated his ardent desire to visit China, discussed how he handles stress and criticism, and shared that he has experienced crises in his religious life as a Jesuit.
Pope Francis has named Richard Garth Henning, 59, current bishop of Providence, Rhode Island, as the seventh Archbishop of Boston, the Vatican announced on Aug. 5.
The pope’s appeal came after the assassinations of Hamas political leader and peace negotiator Ismael Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut earlier in the week.
In a brief statement, the Vatican said, “it cannot but join its voice with the others that have been raised in these last days to deplore the offense made to numerous Christians and believers of other religions.”
In an interview with America’s Gerard O’Connell, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça discusses his love for cinema and poetry, what it’s like working in the Roman Curia and Pope Francis’ “Gospel simplicity.”