Pope calls world’s largest Muslim nation to fight extremism, foster tolerance

JAKARTA – Pope Francis on Wednesday kicked off his three-day visit to Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation, with a clear call to fight extremism and to foster interreligious tolerance and social development.

“Just as the ocean is the natural element uniting all Indonesian islands, mutual respect for the specific cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious characteristics of all the groups present in Indonesia is the indispensable and unifying fabric that makes Indonesians a united and proud people,” the pope said in his Sept.