Pope Welcomes Ambassadors of Indonesia and Uruguay

(February 16, 2012) Pope Benedict XVI welcomed two new Ambassadors to the Holy See. On Thursday morning Mr Budiarman Barar, from Indonesia and Mr Daniel Edgardo Ramada Piendibene from Uruguay submitted their Letters of Credentials to the Holy Father at the Vatican. The Republic of Indonesia with the Population of 238 million contains numerically the largest Muslim population. Only three percent of the people are catholic and five percent Protestants. Indonesia has its diplomatic relations with Holy See from 1947. The Oriental Republic of Uruguay a South American Country has 3.3 million populations, 66 percent of who are Catholics is one of the most economically developed countries of the continent. The Holy See currently has diplomatic relations with 179 sovereign states and in addition with the sovereign entity Order of Malta and the supranational union European Union and few other entities. Pope Benedict XVI in his address to the Diplomatic Corps on the 9^th of January 2012 expressing the need of the relationships, spoke of the commitment of the Holy See and the Catholic Church, alongside the international community, in the search for suitable solutions to a number of aspects ranging from the safeguarding of the dignity of persons to concern for the common good of both the communities which receive them and those from which they come. The Pontiff added that the dialogue which these countries maintain with the Holy See favours the exchange of views and information, as well as cooperation in areas of common interest which are bilateral or multilateral in nature.