APOSTOLIC JOURNEY - Pope Francis in Indonesia: excerpts from the address to bishops, priests, religious and catechists

Jakarta (Agenzia Fides) - "Faith, fraternity, compassion". These three words, which are the motto of this Apostolic Visit, are the focus of Pope Francis' entire speech in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Jakarta, where he met with bishops, priests, deacons, religious, seminarians and Indonesian catechists.

When he arrived at the Cathedral, the Pope was greeted by a cheering crowd. Many approached him hoping to shake his hand. Some managed to take a selfie. One by one, Francis greeted the children who were waiting for him in the churchyard, waving the flags of the Vatican and Indonesia.

Francis then entered the Cathedral together with the Archbishop of Jakarta, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, the President of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference, Bishop Antonius Subianto Bunyamin (O.S.C.), and the parish priest. The Pope kissed the cross and sprinkled holy water on those present. He then walked down the nave among the crowd and gave his handshake with a smile.

After the greetings, songs and testimonies of a priest, a nun and two catechists, the Pope took the floor and added a praise for the catechists in an impromptu speech before the official address: "The catechists carry the Church forward. They are the ones who move forward first, followed by the nuns, then the priests and the bishop. But, the catechists are at the front, they are the driving force of the Church. On one of my trips to Africa, the President of a country told me that he had been baptized by his father who was a catechist. Faith is transmitted at home and in dialect. The catechists, together with the mothers and grandmothers, pass on the faith." The following are the most important passages from the speech that was given immediately afterwards:

As mentioned, the motto chosen for this Apostolic Visit is "Faith, Fraternity, Compassion". I think these are three virtues that express well both your journey as a Church and your character as a people, who are ethnically and culturally diverse. At the same time, you are characterized by an innate striving for unity and peaceful coexistence, as witnessed by the traditional principles of the Pancasila. I would now like to reflect with you on these three words.

The first is faith. Indonesia is a large country, with many natural riches. Such great wealth can be a reminder of God, of his presence in the cosmos and in our lives, as Sacred Scripture teaches us.

Indeed, it is the Lord who gives all this. There is not an inch of the marvelous Indonesian territory, nor a moment in the lives of its millions of inhabitants that is not a gift from God, a sign of his gratuitous and everlasting love as Father. Looking at all we have been given with the humble eyes of children helps us to believe, to recognize ourselves as small and beloved, and to cultivate feelings of gratitude and responsibility.

After faith, the second word in the motto is fraternity. A twentieth-century poet used a very beautiful expression to describe this attitude. She wrote that being brothers and sisters means loving each other by recognizing each other “as different as two drops of water”. How beautiful! That expression captures it perfectly. No two drops of water are alike, nor are two brothers or sisters, not even twins are completely identical. Living out fraternity, then, means welcoming each other, recognizing each other as equal in diversity.

This, too, is a value dear to the Indonesian Church and is made manifest through the openness with which you address the various internal and external realities encountered on a cultural, ethnic, social and religious level. In particular, your local Church values the contribution of all and generously offers assistance in every setting.

Proclaiming the Gospel does not mean imposing our faith, placing it in opposition to that of others, it means giving and sharing the joy of encountering Christ, always with great respect and fraternal affection for everyone.

Compassion does not consist in giving alms to needy brothers and sisters, looking down on them from our own security and success. On the contrary, compassion consists in drawing close to one another, removing everything that can prevent us from stooping down to touch those on the ground and thus giving them hope. This does not mean being a communist, rather it means charity, it means love.

There are people who are afraid of compassion because they consider it a weakness. Holding onto riches as security is an incorrect way of looking at reality. What keeps the world going is not the calculations of self-interest, which generally end up destroying creation and dividing communities, but offering charity to others. Compassion does not cloud the true vision of life. On the contrary, it makes us see things better, in the light of love.

I encourage you to continue your mission by being strong in faith, open to all in fraternity and close to one another in compassion. I am so struck by that parable in the Gospel, when the wedding guests did not want to come, what did the Lord do? Did he become bitter? No, he sent his servants and told them to go to the crossroads of the streets and to bring everyone inside.
That is very beautiful. (F.B.) (Agenzia Fides, 4/9/2024)

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