By Joshua McElwee and Stefanno Sulaiman
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Wednesday urged political leaders in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, to guard against religious extremism, which he said distorted people's beliefs through "deception and violence".
On a packed first full day of his longest ever overseas journey that includes nine days in Southeast Asia, where Christians are a small minority, the pontiff also met local Catholics and asked them not to force their faith on others.
In a speech to Indonesia's political leaders, Francis said the Catholic Church would increase its efforts toward inter-religious dialogue in hopes of helping tamp down extremism.
"In this way, prejudices can be eliminated, and a climate of mutual respect and trust can grow," the 87-year-old pope said in an address at Jakarta's presidential palace.
"This is indispensable for meeting common challenges, including that of countering extremism and intolerance, which through the distortion of religion attempt to impose their views by using deception and violence," said Francis.
About 87% of Indonesia's population of 280 million is Muslim. Freedom of religion is guaranteed in the country's constitution.
Though Indonesia has seen some instances of Islamist violence in recent years, including suicide bombings in 2021 and 2022 linked to an Islamic State-inspired group, religious extremism has been on a decline since a spate of high-profile attacks two decades ago that included the 2002 Bali bombing, which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
Indonesia's president of 10 years, Joko Widodo, thanked Francis for his calls for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.
"Indonesia appreciates the Vatican's attitude which continues to voice (and) call for peace," he said in his welcoming speech.
RELIGION 'MANIPULATED'
Francis was greeted by crowds waving small Vatican and Indonesian flags as his car arrived at the presidential palace.
Dorothea Dawai, 10, was among the group welcoming the pope. Wearing a green kebaya, a traditional Indonesian dress, she said she hoped to ask for a blessing.
The pontiff, who suffers from knee and back pain, was in a wheelchair as he left his car and met the president outside the building.
In his public remarks, Francis did not mention any specific violent incidents, but made several references to extremism, intolerance and manipulation of religion.
"There are times when faith in God is ... sadly manipulated to foment divisions and increase hatred instead of furthering peace, communion, dialogue, respect, cooperation and fraternity," said the pontiff.
Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Francis and Widodo had not spoken specifically about the Gaza war in their meeting, but more generally about ongoing conflicts and "the importance of peace".
NOT FORCING FAITH
Francis later met local Catholics in Jakarta's cathedral. An enthusiastic crowd of hundreds, including a small child dressed in a pope outfit, gathered outside to see him.
Inside the church, children played the angklung, a traditional bamboo instrument, as they awaited Francis' arrival.
Sitting at the back of the cathedral under a Teak wood ceiling, the pope listened to brief testimonies from four Indonesian Catholics.
One was from a nun who elicited a smile from Francis when she asked him to press Vatican officials to hurry Indonesian translations of Catholic texts.
The pope peppered his prepared remarks with off-the-cuff additions and jokes. He praised Indonesia's cultural diversity and told the Catholics that following the church's teachings "does not mean imposing our faith or placing it in opposition to that of others".
The pope will leave Indonesia on Friday before heading to Papua New Guinea, then East Timor and Singapore and will have clocked nearly 33,000 km (21,000 miles) when he returns to Rome on Sept. 13.
Francis has emphasised Catholic-Muslim dialogue and in 2019 was the first pope to visit the Arabian peninsula. On Thursday, he will join an inter-religious meeting at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Southeast Asia's largest mosque.