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Jakarta (Agenzia Fides) - The Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis to Asia and Oceania is now in full swing. After a "rest day" at the Nunciature, the Pope celebrated a private Mass this morning. He then drove to the Presidential Palace "Istana Merdeka" to take part in the welcoming ceremony in Indonesia and to pay a courtesy visit to the Head of State.
The Pope was greeted by the Indonesian President Joko Widodo, while a group of children performed a welcoming dance. After the guard of honor, the playing of the anthems and the raising of the flags, the presentation of the respective delegations followed. At the end, the President and the Pope went to the Credential Hall to sign the guest book and take an official photo.
"Amid the beauty of this land, which is a place of encounter and dialogue between different cultures and religions, I wish the Indonesian people to grow in faith, fraternity and compassion. God bless Indonesia," were the words with which the Bishop of Rome signed the guest book.
The private meeting between Pope Francis and the President followed. After the bilateral meeting with representatives of the government, civil society and the diplomatic corps, the Pope delivered the first of the four speeches that the Holy Father will give in Jakarta. A speech that focused on the theme of interreligious dialogue as an antidote to extremism and religious intolerance. Here are the most important passages:
Just as the ocean is the natural element that connects all the Indonesian islands, one could almost say that mutual respect for the specific cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious characteristics of all the population groups that make up Indonesia is the connective tissue that unites and makes the Indonesian people proud.
This wise and delicate balance between the diversity of cultures and different beliefs on the one hand, and the principle that consolidates unity on the other, must be constantly defended against any imbalance. This is a craft work, I stress: a craft that is entrusted to everyone, and in particular to political action.
In order to promote peaceful and constructive harmony that guarantees peace and joins forces to overcome the imbalances and hotspots of misery that still exist in some areas of the country, the Catholic Church wishes to strengthen interreligious dialogue.
In this way, prejudices can be broken down and a climate of mutual respect and trust can be created, which is essential for facing common challenges. This also includes combating extremism and intolerance, which, by distorting religion, try to impose themselves through deception and violence.
The Catholic Church puts itself at the service of the common good and seeks to strengthen cooperation with public institutions and other actors in civil society, but it never engages in proselytism. Never. It respects the faith of each person. And so it encourages the creation of a more balanced social fabric in order to achieve a more efficient and fairer distribution of social support.
In other contexts, however, it is believed that it can or should refrain from seeking God's blessing because it is considered superfluous for man and civil society. On the contrary, there are cases in which faith in God is constantly put at the forefront, but unfortunately this is often done in order to manipulate it, to promote divisions and to increase hatred.
In the face of these shadows, it is gratifying to see how the philosophy that inspires the organization of the Indonesian State expresses wisdom and balance. I hope that everyone will be inspired by these principles in their daily actions and will make them effective in the daily performance of their respective tasks, because opus justitiae pax, peace is the fruit of justice. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 4/9/2024)
