ASIA/INDONESIA - The Director for European Affairs: "Indonesia and the Holy See united to bring a message of peace and fraternity to the world"

by Paolo Affatato

Jakarta (Agenzia Fides) - "The Pope's visit to Indonesia is a historic moment for the nation. It not only has a religious meaning, but also a civil and political one, in the broadest sense of the term. It is the third time that a pontiff touches Indonesian soil (after Paul VI, in December 1970, and John Paul II, in October 1989, ed). The enthusiasm of the population is evident. There is great expectation among Catholics in Indonesia, it is clear, but we see that the enthusiasm is also shared by all Indonesians", Widya Sadnovic, Director for European Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, told Fides, in view of the apostolic trip that will see Pope Francis in Indonesia from September 3 to 6, the first of four stops in four different countries.
A young and dynamic man, Director Sadnovic personally participates in the committee created ad hoc for the preparation of the papal visit. “Meetings, messages, issues to resolve, keep me busy twenty-four hours a day," he reveals with a smile that does not make any difference to the extraordinary work that he carries out every day with openness, competence, good will and availability. "What I perceive in the meetings is the feeling of full and joyful welcome. I see government officials, members of the Indonesian Church, representatives of the Vatican, the Apostolic Nunciature, the Grand Imam, all united by the same objective: everyone is trying to do their part to make this visit a happy moment, a memorable event for the nation."
Sadnovic points out: "President Joko Widodo's invitation to the Holy Father had already occurred in 2020. Then, the pandemic caused it to be postponed. But the Government always insisted a lot on that idea and then renewed the invitation. Let us remember that this is a state visit, it is also the visit of a head of state, so there will be a welcome by the state authorities, a bilateral meeting with the president, as well as the meeting of the Pope with the diplomatic community and other civil authorities in Indonesia".

It will be an important moment of bilateral meeting between Indonesia and the Holy See, says the Director, "to reaffirm collaboration and to share our common interests. In particular, I would say that a central aspect in the international community at this moment is the message of peace and tolerance. This is a very important issue for us, in the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world."
"At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - he reports - we are especially committed to cultivating relations between all regions. For several years, the Ministry has been promoting programs, seminars, and interreligious dialogue initiatives with representatives from more than 30 countries. It is part of our ordinary commitment. The state apparatus facilitates the meeting of religious leaders both in Indonesia and throughout the Asian continent, so that also in other nations the meeting of religious leaders serves to nourish and practice the message of peace and fraternity. Our Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, is also fully in line with this message and this commitment. In this sense, he is very active when trying to resolve conflicts, promoting forms of mediation and dialogue: our objectives are the peaceful resolution of conflicts and not losing humanity in them, for example by always guaranteeing humanitarian aid".

The Director focuses on the internal situation of the archipelago of 17,000 islands: "As we know, Indonesia is a very diverse nation, rich in different religions, ethnicities, languages and traditions. And we work for unity in diversity. This diversity should be appreciated and unity should never be taken for granted. We must pay attention to it, cultivate it, live it and take it with us to share it with our neighbors", he points out. From Indonesia, in concentric circles, to all humanity: "We also think that this message of peace, which comes from Indonesia, can spread to other parts of the world that need peace, from Southeast Asia, to the entire continent, to the entire world. We see with pain and bitterness the many contexts of conflict, now also in Europe, just think of Ukraine, or the Middle East. I believe that this aspect could emerge in the conversations between the Holy Father and the President of Indonesia: the presence of the Pope, religious leader and head of State, will remind all peoples of the urgency of spreading and practicing peace".

As a state official, Widya Sadnovic says he is "impressed because I see that the words of Pope Francis are often quoted in the Indonesian media, they are known and accepted not only by Catholics, but also by government representatives, Muslim leaders and commentators. This is impressive for us. Reading some of these messages and teachings of the Pope, we find accents and themes particularly close to the spirit and soul of Indonesia, such as fraternity, tolerance, acceptance of others and peace. Peace is a task that no one can carry out alone: it is built through communication, dialogue. We will see it concretely in the Pope's meeting with the Minister of Religious Affairs, with the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque and with other religious leaders, which will have great symbolic force. They are encounters that show a path, indicate a style of human relations. Certainly, it will not be a gesture that constitutes an end in itself, or merely formal: it will rather be proof that this fraternity, this tolerance, this welcome, this dialogue are commitments that must be pursued every day, in politics, in society, in religious communities, throughout the world, for the good of all humanity. (Agenzia Fides, 25/7/2024)

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