Francis to Muslims, "Inherited Religious Rites Must be Protected"
He was received by the Grand Imam, Nasaruddin Umar.
In the mosque, Francis and Umar listened to passages from the Koran sung by a young woman and the parable of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke read by a priest.
Then, Francis and Umar signed another joint declaration on "fraternity," entitled: Fostering Religious Harmony for the Sake of Humanity. The interreligious scribble is at least below 400 words long. It pledges to defend "human dignity" and fight "climate change".
In a speech omitting any reference to Christ, Francis asked in the Muslim country to cultivate "friendship" and "harmony" as "pilgrims on our way to God".
Francis, who is fighting the Roman rite, added that "the visible aspects of religions - rites, practices, etc. - are a heritage that must be protected and respected". After leaving the mosque, he kissed the hand of the Grand Imam.
He then presided a Eucharist in Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta's main stadium. Local authorities estimated that more than 100,000 faithful attended.
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