Jakarta. Former Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri presented a painting of the Virgin Mary to Pope Francis at the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City on Friday afternoon.

The painting depicted the Virgin Mary wearing a white mantilla veil and a red kebaya. Megawati was accompanied by her daughter, Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR) Puan Maharani, her son Mohamad Rizki Pratama, as well as fellow lawmakers Ahmad Basarah and former Governor of North Sulawesi Olly Dondokambey. Puan Maharani also gifted Pope Francis a traditional Indonesian batik wayang shirt.

The kebaya is a traditional blouse-dress commonly worn in several Southeast Asian countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Typically made from lightweight fabric, it features a fitted waist and is often paired with a sarong or batik skirt.

"His Holiness appeared delighted with the gift and thanked Megawati and Puan Maharani," said Ahmad Basarah in a statement on Saturday.

The Pope’s visit to Indonesia at the end of last year was warmly welcomed by citizens across the nation, despite Indonesia being the largest Muslim-majority country in the world.

In 2023, Pope Francis and Ahmed Al Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar in Egypt, invited Megawati to serve as a judge for the Zayed Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations that promote humanitarian efforts.

Discussion on Global Issues with Pope Francis

Following the meeting, Megawati shared details of her discussion with Pope Francis about global issues, particularly climate change. Megawati had traveled to the Vatican after receiving a personal invitation from the Pope to speak at the World Leaders Summit on Children's Rights.

"I was personally invited by him. The most important thing is that after our meeting, we discussed national issues," Megawati said in a statement.

She noted that Pope Francis expressed great interest in Indonesia's Pancasila philosophy and the value of mutual cooperation (gotong royong). Megawati recalled mentioning Indonesia's ideology Pancasila during her speech at the summit and explained how its principles could be applied internationally.

"He is particularly interested in Pancasila and the spirit of gotong royong, as I explained in my speech at the summit. Pancasila can be followed in human life because it is essentially international," she said.

Megawati added that the Pope agreed with her thoughts on humanitarian issues, acknowledging the current global changes that are deeply concerning, particularly the ongoing conflicts and the alarming state of global warming.

"One of the things he is most worried about is global warming. It seems that people are not paying enough attention to this issue, despite its seriousness," Megawati said.

She further shared a conversation with Pope Francis about humanity’s lack of concern for climate change, saying how the melting polar ice caps have become a significant global concern. "I asked him why humans seem indifferent to global warming. He nodded and said, 'I completely agree.' He also mentioned that the Vatican has a research center focused on the polar regions, which are now disintegrating at an alarming rate, with chunks as large as hills," she concluded.