I never met Pope Francis, but I was one of millions who admired his work.

In 2016, the Zaheda flew to Italy from Lesbos on the pope’s plane. “He’s a gift from paradise,” Hasan Zaheda said on Sunday. “Pope Francis, a gift from our God, that God sent us to save us.”

During his visit to Indonesia, Pope Francis and the grand imam of the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta signed the ”Joint Declaration of Istiqlal 2024,” which aims at “fostering religious harmony for the sake of humanity.”

Pope Francis will arrive at Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, the biggest mosque in Southeast Asia, tomorrow morning, where he will sign an important document with the grand imam, Nasaruddin Umar.

This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley talk with Professor Amir Hussain, a theology professor at Loyola Marymount University, about life and teaching as a Muslim at a Catholic university.

Observing Ramadan, a sacred time of fasting in the Islamic world, heightens my awareness of the afflictions that so many are forced to endure and the ways our world still needs healing.