ASIA/INDONESIA - The Church in Indonesia near the new Pope: "We hope to promote dialogue with Islam"

Jakarta (Agenzia Fides) – Emotion and high hopes for a renewed dialogue with Islam in the Indonesian Church, after the election of Pope Francis. His Exc. Mgr. Johannes Maria Pujasumarta, Archbishop of Semarang and Secretary of the Episcopal Conference of Indonesia, interviewed by Fides, explains: "We appreciated his very simple and moving words: he asked the people to pray together for him and with him, he entrusted his ministry to the Virgin Mary. It was a wonderful moment for the universal Church. "The Archbishop noted that "the Pope took the name of Francis of Assisi. The choice means many things: to be all about Christ, renew the Church, the sensitivity to reach out to the poor, but also dialogue with Islam. This latter aspect is very important to us, the Church in a country with a Muslim majority. We hope that the new Pope will especially promote dialogue with Islam." "We are very happy - he concludes - we prayed a lot before the election and during the Conclave: the Lord listened to our prayers." (PA) (Agenzia Fides 14/03/2013)