Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
by Victor Gaetan*
Rome (Fides News Agency) - Pope Francis’s ambitious 4-country pilgrimage, September 2-13, will include countless, colorful encounters as young countries greet the pontiff and he, in turn, seeks to inspire people and leaders in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Singapore.
The pope’s diplomatic priorities—and accomplishments—will be on display throughout the journey, especially his commitment to interfaith dialogue, a leitmotif of this pontificate.
One way to view this mission thematically is through the four fascinating principles Francis outlined in Evangelii Gaudium (217-237),[1] because each country he visits exemplifies one of his principles: unity prevails over conflict, the whole is greater than the part, time is greater than space, and reality is superior to ideas.
In the same apostolic exhortation (238-258), Francis lists three areas of dialogue crucial for pursuing the common good: dialogue with states, society, and non-Catholic believers. His itinerary is a kaleidoscope of these priorities.
Indonesia: Unity
In an interview with Agenzia Fides[2], Indonesian Cardinal Ignazio Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo explained that religious harmony was a goal embedded in the country’s very independence from the Netherlands in 1945.
“Our relations with the Islamic community are really good. And this harmonious relationship also goes back to and has been maintained since the birth of the nation,” said Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo. It is a way of valorizing social unity over division.
For example, Indonesia’s first leader, President Sukarno, encouraged the building of a mosque in Jakarta on land where a Dutch castle had sat, to symbolize overcoming colonialism and across the street from the 1900-era Catholic cathedral to signify friendship between the two faith traditions. An underground tunnel connecting the two structures was recently added.
Pope Francis will visit both the cathedral and Istiqlal Mosque, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, for an interfaith meeting, highlighting the “Pope's appreciation for the Indonesian people, especially in the sense of freedom of religion and interreligious coexistence and harmony between communities of faith,” Cardinal Suharyo explained.
According to Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Ministry, the population includes about 242 million Muslims and 29 million Christians, of which 8.5 million are Catholic, a figure which has been growing.
Francis is always building stronger relations with the Sunni Muslim world—a diplomatic priority since 2013 when he inherited a fractured relationship with much of Islam.
As Francis wrote in Evangelii Gaudium, “Diversity is a beautiful thing when it can constantly enter into a process of reconciliation” (230).
Papua New Guinea: Whole
Of the 10 million people living in Papua New Guinea, over 95 percent are Christians. Most are a variety of Protestant denominations while the Catholic Church is considered the largest faith community with about 30 percent of the nation’s believers. Yet, Christianity is richly combined with local indigenous practices creating a culturally diverse Church.
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart is the religious order that planted the Church in 1881. Cardinal John Ribat is an MSC priest and the nation’s first cardinal, appointed in 2016 by Pope Francis.
Local Church leaders are extremely concerned with environmental issues, and since the release of Laudato Si, they have especially prioritized protecting the environment while pushing back against exploitation in the mining sector and corporate deforestation.
This advocacy is an excellent example of elevating the whole as greater than its parts. In Evangelii Gaudium, the pope uses a nature analogy to describe this principle: “We constantly have to broaden our horizons and see the greater good which will benefit us all. But this has to be done without evasion or uprooting. We need to sink our roots deeper into the fertile soil and history of our native place, which is a gift of God” (235).
Timor-Leste: Time
It’s widely known that Timor-Leste, which achieved independence in 2002, has more Catholics than any other country. A Portuguese colony until 1975, after which it was controlled by Indonesia until 1999. Different studies show that over 170,000 deaths as a result of arbitrary executions, disappearances and starvation, during Indonesian military occupation.
When Pope John Paul II visited in 1989 (while Timor-Leste was still occupied by Indonesia), the seeds of national identity were planted but the Church always opposed violence. By protecting persecuted citizens and building community, the faith grew, step by step. In 1975, about 20 percent of the people were Catholic, a figure that rose to 95 percent by 1998 because the Church was closely linked to national aspirations.
The process by which Timor-Leste achieved independence is an excellent example of Pope Francis’s principle regarding time being greater than space. The Holy Spirit can step into space created over time; time allows trust to grow and local solutions to emerge.
As he writes in Evangelii Gaudium, this “principle enables us to work slowly but surely, without being obsessed with immediate results. It helps us patiently to endure difficult and adverse situations, or inevitable changes in our plans.”
The pope’s visit to the first new country of the 21st century, where the nation’s first cardinal,
Virgílio do Carmo da Silva, SDB, appointed by Pope Francis in 2022, serves as bishop of Dili, is sure to be joyful.
Singapore: Reality
Singapore’s economic prosperity and global integration make it the most developed nation the pope will visit. His message regarding the environment is again relevant, as is his appeal for regulation of Artificial Intelligence.[3]
Francis will join an archbishop he elevated for the first time in the nation’s history, in 2022, Cardinal William Goh Seng Chye, who sits on Singapore’s Presidential Council for Religious Harmony and works closely with the Buddhist community, the country’s largest religion.
Pope Francis admires Singapore’s explicit commitment to protecting religious freedom and collaborating with all faiths. As Cardinal Goh explained to EWTN Vatican: “The state sees us as partners. We are partners with the government because it's for the common good of the people. We take care of the spiritual needs, we help the government rule justly, we express our views, and the government is very grateful.”[4]
The pope also admires Singapore’s pursuit of an independent foreign policy avoiding dependence on any world power, which matches his vision of a multipolar world, respecting cultural autonomy. He often describes this vision of globalism as a polyhedron or soccer ball: all cultures should be allowed to thrive, without domination by any one state.
The principle is that reality is greater than ideas. As Evangelii Gaudium explains, “It is dangerous to dwell in the realm of words alone, of images and rhetoric.”
Pope Francis plunges into reality with his apostolic voyage to Asia and Oceania this week. Millions of Christians, Muslims, Buddhhists and non-denominational people will joyfully witness and unconditionally receive the blessings of Peter's successor. May God continue to bless his ministry to the world. (Fides News Agency 2/9/2024)
*Victor Gaetan is a senior correspondent for the National Catholic Register, focusing on international issues. He also writes for Foreign Affairs magazine and contributed to Catholic News Service. He is the author of the book God’s Diplomats: Pope Francis, Vatican Diplomacy, and America’s Armageddon (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021) published in paperback in July 2023. Visit his website at VictorGaetan.org
