Greetings of Pope Francis – Tunnel of Friendship, 5 September 2024

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

TO INDONESIA, PAPUA NEW GUINEA,
TIMOR-LESTE AND SINGAPORE

2-13 September 2024

Greeting in the Tunnel of Friendship

Jakarta, Istiqlal Mosque

5 September

Dear brothers and sisters,

I congratulate you all because the purpose of this “Tunnel of Friendship” is to be a place of dialogue and encounter.

When we think of a tunnel, we might easily imagine a dark pathway.  This could be frightening, especially if we are alone.  Yet here it is different, for everything is illuminated.  I would like to tell you, however, that you are the light that illuminates it, and you do so by your friendship, by the harmony you cultivate, the support you give each other, and by journeying together, which leads you in the end towards the fullness of light.

We who belong to different religious traditions have a role to play in helping everyone pass through the tunnels of life with our eyes turned towards the light.  Then, at the end of the journey, we will be able to recognize in those who have walked beside us, a brother, a sister, with whom we can share life and support each other.

In the face of today’s many challenges, we respond with the sign of fraternity.  Indeed, by welcoming others and respecting their identity, fraternity urges them on a common path travelled in friendship and leading towards the light.

I am grateful to those who work with the conviction that we can live in harmony and peace, and are aware of the need for a more fraternal world.  I hope that our communities may increasingly be open to interreligious dialogue and be symbols of the peaceful coexistence that characterizes Indonesia.

I pray to God, the Creator of all, that he will bless everyone who will pass through this Tunnel in a spirit of friendship, harmony and fraternity.  Thank you!