Pope Francis arrived at Jakarta airport before thousands of excited Indonesians on Tuesday as he begins his ambitious Asia-Pacific tour.
The 87-year-old pontiff is expected to urge global action on climate change when he visits four countries over the next 10 days, Reuters has reported.
The Pope passed through Jakarta towards the Vatican embassy, where he is staying, and small crowds of people were seen waving excitedly.
"I'm so happy, I feel so blessed," said Enny Rahail, 52, who travelled 3,000 km (1,860 miles) to Jakarta from her home in southeast Maluku before standing for two hours in the midday heat to wave to the pope outside the embassy.
"As Indonesians, we are happy because the Catholic leader comes to our country," said Ms Rahail, who called Francis an "advocate for peace" and said she cried as the pope arrived.
Here is all you need to know about his tour.
Where is Pope Francis visiting?
As soon as he arrived, he held an informal meeting with a group of refugees living in Indonesia.
The Vatican gave few details, but said the group included persons from Somalia, Sri Lanka and members of the persecuted Rohingya minority from Myanmar.
The ageing pope was not set to attend any public events on Tuesday, to allow him time for rest after the 13-hour overnight flight from Rome.
From there, he is expected to travel nearly 33,000 km around the region - taking in East Timor, Singapore and Papua New Guinea.
He flies back on September 13.
What are the aims of the tour?
An address to Indonesia's political leaders on Wednesday will be the pope's first official event. The following day, he will participate in an inter-religious meeting at Southeast Asia's largest mosque, the Istiqlal Mosque.
Francis, who pushed for the 2015 Paris climate pact, is expected to continue voicing appeals to confront the dangers of a warming globe.
Jakarta, the Indonesian capital home to at least 10 million people, is vulnerable to climate change, as it tackles chronic flooding and sinking land. The government is building a new capital, Nusantara, on the island of Borneo.
Just 3 per cent of a population of about 280 million is Catholic in Indonesia, which is the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.
"This is a very historic visit," Indonesian president Joko Widodo told reporters before the pope's arrival, offering Francis a warm welcome on a long-planned visit that had been delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Indonesia and the Vatican have a similar commitment to cultivate peace and brotherhood as well as ensure prosperity for the people."
What has the Pope said?
On Monday, the Pope offered only a few words about the trip, saying the coming days would represent his longest voyage abroad.
Francis, who is not only the leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics but also the Vatican's head of state, wired customary greetings to every country he crossed on the way to Indonesia, including Iran, India, Pakistan and Turkey.
He offered prayers of peace, hopes for prosperity, or divine blessings, in messages varying with each country.
