Pope Francis' grueling tour gets into full swing in Indonesia

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Pope Francis was set to meet Indonesia's president on Wednesday after the 87-year-old appeared in good health and strong spirits when he arrived in the Muslim-majority nation to launch a grueling tour of the Asia-Pacific.

The head of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics is on a three-day visit to Indonesia devoted to interfaith ties before he travels to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore on the longest trip of his papacy.

There are concerns about the impacts of the 12-day tour on his health.

But the pontiff appeared to start strongly as he offered smiles when he arrived in Jakarta on Tuesday morning, then met a group of orphans, migrants and homeless people in the afternoon.

"I thank you for coming on this journey, thank you for the company. I think it is the longest one (flight) I have done," he told reporters after his 13-hour flight from Rome.

The pope will on Wednesday meet President Joko Widodo, more popularly known as Jokowi, at the presidential palace in the first major set piece of his tour.

He will then give a speech to officials and diplomats, where he is expected to touch on religious harmony in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

"This is a very historic visit," Jokowi, who leaves office next month, told reporters Tuesday.

"Indonesia and the Vatican have a similar commitment to peace and brotherhood."

After meeting Jokowi, the pontiff will hold a private meeting with members of the Society of Jesus -- the Jesuit order to which he belongs -- at the Holy See's mission in Jakarta.

Catholics represent fewer than three percent of the population of Indonesia -- about eight million people, compared with the 87 percent, or 242 million, who are Muslim.

But they are one of six officially recognised religions or denominations in the nominally secular nation, including Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.

Interfaith ties are the central theme of this stopover and he is due to host a meeting Thursday with representatives from all six religions at the Istiqlal Mosque, the largest in Southeast Asia and a symbol of religious co-existence.

He will sign a joint declaration with the mosque's grand imam focusing on