Sawt Falasteen - Indonesia prepares to welcome Pope Francis

The pope begins the longest and farthest journey of his papacy on Monday afternoon, spending three nights of a 12-day trip in the Indonesian capital Jakarta before heading to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.

Indonesian authorities were getting the traffic-clogged megalopolis of 11 million into shape before the 87-year-old's landing on Tuesday for the high-profile visit, which is set to be dominated by inter-faith ties.

They closed or changed routes at the major locations he will visit -- the international airport, Jakarta cathedral, the presidential palace, the national football stadium and Istiqlal Mosque, where he will give an address.

A new billboard declaring "Welcome Pope Francis" and the slogan "Faith, Fraternity, Compassion" has been put up in central Jakarta.

Outgoing President Joko Widodo said last week he would try to be by the pope's side as much as possible during the visit.

"If it is possible, I will accompany him," he told reporters.

At Jakarta cathedral, the country's top Catholic place of worship, devotees took photos on Monday with a newly installed life-sized cutout of Francis.

Pope signboards and religious drawings by schoolchildren were also put up.

People queued at the site to buy two papal stamp designs, launched by the government to celebrate the visit.

The special stamps will set postal users back 63,000 rupiah ($4) for a sheet of 18.

But foreign tourists and worshippers were being turned away later Monday as organisers closed the cathedral to the public before his visit.

The cathedral sits across from Southeast Asia's largest mosque, with the two connected by a newly built 'tunnel of friendship'.

A security detail of around 4,000 personnel will protect the pope, including snipers, soldiers, police and his security team.

Indonesia recognises six official religions -- Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.

The independent Jakarta Post newspaper ran an editorial on Monday hailing his 'Papal Message of Hope' and called on "people of all faiths" to "listen to his wisdom" on interreligious matters.

Francis will be the third pope to visit Indonesia, an archipelago of 17,500 islands, after Paul VI in 1970 and John Paul II in 1989.

R.AbuNasser--SF-PST