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Indonesia set to host two major Catholic youth events

Ambassador to Holy See says he hopes young Catholics will see importance of 'unity and nationalism'
Indonesia set to host two major Catholic youth events
Published: May 12, 2016 05:16 AM GMT
Updated: May 12, 2016 05:17 AM GMT

Indonesia is preparing to host two major Catholic youth events during 2016-2017.

The first event is Indonesian Youth Day, which takes place Oct . 1-6 in Manado. The next year, Indonesia will host Asian Youth Day from July 30–Aug. 6, 2017, in Yogyakarta, Vatican Radio reported.

"We hope by having those two big events, we would like to expose that … Catholics are part of the Indonesian people," said Antonius Agus Sriyono, Indonesia’s ambassador to the Holy See. "They have to have tolerance to other religions."

Indonesia is nearly 90 percent Muslim; Christians make up almost 10 percent of the population, or more than 25 million people.

Manado, the host-city of Indonesian Youth Day, is in predominantly-Christian North Sulawesi province.  Yogyakarta is on the island of Java, home to the majority of Indonesia's population.

Indonesia's government said it wants the two events to build up solidarity in the country.

"We want Indonesian young Catholics to be aware of the importance of … unity and nationalism in Indonesia," Sriyono told Vatican Radio.

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