President Jokowi Invites Pope Francis to Indonesia

Jakarta, MINA – Indonesian President Joko Widodo sent an invitation to the Leader of the Vatican Holy See Pope Francis to visit Indonesia. The invitation is issued following the news that the Pope will visit Southeast Asia in 2020.

The President’s Special Staff for Early Law Shanti Purwono said Jokowi hoped that the Pope could make time to stop by Indonesia.

“So, the President heard that there was a plan for the Pope to visit Southeast Asia, including Indonesia. Based on that information, the President sent an invitation to the Pope if he visited Southeast Asia as well as to Indonesia,” Dini said as quoted by CNNIndonesia on Sunday.

The invitation appeared publicly after copies of the invitation letter were spread on social media. The letter is accompanied by the logo of the President of the Republic of Indonesia and Jokowi’s signature.

Jokowi asked the Pope to be the guest of honor in Indonesia and believed the arrival of Argentine religious leader as a form of friendship.

“I believe that his excellency’s visit will be a very good momentum to strengthen friendship and cooperation for the sake of our mutual benefit,” Jokowi wrote in the letter.

In November 2019, the Pope toured Asia by visiting Thailand and Japan. The visit is the first time Vatican officials have visited Southeast Asia in the past 40 years.

During the visit, Francis met his cousin, Sister Ana Rosa, who was a missionary in Thailand. Then, in Japan he visited World War II historical sites in Hiroshima. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)