Defence Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto shared a photo of himself shaking hands with Pope Francis at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday, September 4. In his post, Prabowo welcomed the distinguished guest and expressed pride in Indonesia’s diversity and harmony. Prabowo, accompanying President Joko Widodo in welcoming Pope Francis, described Indonesia as a country blessed with diversity and harmonious life.
President Widodo introduced Prabowo as Indonesia’s 8th president-elect to Pope Francis before the handshake. In his speech, Pope Francis extended his greetings to Prabowo for his upcoming term as president and expressed admiration for Indonesia’s national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika.
Preparations for Pope Francis’ visit included Prabowo arranging for the use of the Maung vehicle for the Pope during his religious service at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, Senayan.
