Pope Francis is undertaking an apostolic and diplomatic visit to Indonesia from September 3-6, 2024. This is part of a series of papal trips to four countries in the Asia-Pacific region: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore.
Kompas Research and Development (Litbang Kompas) investigated public perception of the Head of State of the Vatican. The results show that a majority, or 24% of respondents, view the Pope as a global religious figure.
Next, 20.3% of respondents see Pope Francis as the leader of the Catholic Church, and 8.4% describe him as a symbol of peace.
“The perception of the Pope is also interpreted as the leader of the Catholic Church and a symbol of peace and interfaith tolerance,” wrote a Kompas Litbang researcher in their report on Monday (September 2, 2024).
Furthermore, 3.4% of respondents see Pope Francis as a representation of interfaith tolerance, 1.2% as a builder of diplomacy, 0.7% stated that the Pope resides in the Vatican, and 3.5% gave other answers.
“Besides the diplomatic significance, Pope Francis’s visit to these four countries is an apostolic journey as the supreme leader of the Catholic Church worldwide,” said a Kompas Litbang researcher.
In addition, 38.5% of respondents stated they did not know when asked about their view of Pope Francis.
This Kompas Litbang survey involved 536 respondents across 38 Indonesian provinces, selected randomly and proportionally.
Data collection was conducted from August 19-21, 2024, through telephone interviews. The survey's margin of error is approximately 4.32%, with a 95% confidence level, under conditions of simple random sampling.