Pope Francis’ second day in Indonesia involved two major events: a meeting with the country’s president and political and religious authorities at the presidential palace and an encounter with the Catholic bishops, clergy and catechists at the cathedral. In between, he had a private meeting with 200 Jesuits at the Vatican embassy.
He began the day by visiting the presidential palace where he was given a colorful official welcome that included the playing of the Vatican and Indonesian national anthems, a march by units of the Indonesian armed forces and a private conversation with President Joko Widodo, who also briefly introduced him to his successor, the incoming president, current defense minister Prabowo Subianto.
On his arrival and departure from the palace, hundreds of children, dressed in traditional costumes and waving Indonesian and Vatican flags, cheered him as he passed by in his white hybrid economy Toyota, manufactured in Indonesia.
Pope Francis’ speech to civil authorities
Pope Francis delivered his first address in the presidential palace hall to an audience of 400 people, including the political and religious authorities, representatives of civil society and the diplomatic corps. He praised Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, for its efforts to build unity while respecting “the cultural, ethnic, linguistic, religious diversity” of all its citizens. In doing so, he said, it was giving expression to its national motto “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” (“United in Diversity,” or, literally, “Many but One”).
“This wise and delicate balance, between the multiplicity of cultures and different ideological visions, and the ideals that cement unity, must be continuously defended against imbalances,” the pope said. “It is a work of craftsmanship entrusted to everyone, but in a special way to those in political life, who should strive toward harmony, equity, respect for the fundamental rights of human beings, sustainable development, solidarity and the pursuit of peace, both within society and with other peoples and nations.”
He told the president and the authorities that the Catholic Church in Indonesia “desires to increase interreligious dialogue,” “work for the common good” and “strengthen cooperation with public institutions and other actors in civil society” to build “a more balanced social fabric and ensure a more efficient and equitable distribution of social assistance.” Then, departing from his prepared text, he added that the Catholic Church would do all this without ever engaging in proselytism. “Never proselytism,” he repeated.
Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, and Pope Francis, again departing from his prepared text, praised its large families and drew laughter from those present when he remarked, “In your country, people make three, four and five children. That’s an example for every country, while some prefer to only have a cat or a little dog!”
Many nodded in assent when Francis commended the Pancasila political philosophy, enshrined in the preamble to the country’s 1945 constitution, which lays the foundation for “a democratic and independent Indonesia.” He recalled two of its five principles—the first refers to “Almighty God and the need for his blessing,” the second to “social justice”—as “the desired foundation for international order” and “as one of the main objectives” of the Indonesian state.
President Joko Widodo, in his welcome address, thanked Francis for making the longest journey of his pontificate to visit Indonesia, a country with 714 different ethnic groups and 17,000 islands with different languages, cultures and religions, where differences are considered “a gift and a fertilizer for unity and peace.”
“This spirit of peace and tolerance is what Indonesia and the Vatican want to spread, especially in the midst of an increasingly turbulent world,” Mr. Widodo said. He noted, however, that conflicts and wars occur in many places today, “including [the war] in Palestine, which has claimed more than 40,000 lives.” He told the pope, “Indonesia greatly appreciates the Vatican’s attitude, which continues to voice calls for peace in Palestine and supports a two-state solution.”
Mr. Widodo never mentioned the word “Israel.” Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with that country, and it strongly supports the Palestinian cause.
In his reply, Francis also spoke about the wars and conflicts in today’s world, but he avoided naming Palestine, Israel or any other country, even if it was clear that he was also referring to the conflict in the Holy Land.
“Unfortunately, we see in today’s world certain tendencies that hinder the development of universal fraternity,” he said. “In various regions, we see the emergence of violent conflicts, which are often the result of a lack of mutual respect, of the intolerant desire to let one’s own interests, one’s own position or one’s own partial historical narrative prevail at all costs, even when this leads to endless suffering for entire communities and results in wars and much bloodshed.”
He concluded his speech by praying, “May God bless Indonesia with peace, for a future full of hope. God bless you all!” His words drew applause from the president and the audience.
Meeting with Catholic leaders
In the afternoon, Pope Francis went to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, which stands very close to the Istiqlal Mosque that he will visit tomorrow morning. There, the pope told bishops, priests, religious and catechists, “Proclaiming the Gospel does not mean imposing our faith or placing it in opposition to that of others, but giving and sharing the joy of encountering Christ, always with great respect and fraternal affection for everyone.”
Welcoming Pope Francis, Bishop Antonius Subianto Bunjamin of Bandung, the president of the Indonesian bishops’ conference, told him the bishops hope his visit will prompt Catholics to “increasingly seek an encounter with God that manifests the joy of the Gospel, creates a culture of encounter in which we see others as a brother or sister, and restores the integrity of creation by listening to the cry of the poor and of the earth, our common home.”
In his speech to the group, Pope Francis focused on the theme the bishops chose for his visit: “Faith – Fraternity – Compassion.” Those Christian values, he said, can coincide easily with Pancasila, Indonesia’s founding philosophy that emphasizes five principles: belief in one God, a just and civilized citizenry, unity, democracy and social justice.
Father Pilifur Junianto, a member of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, traveled from Batam to meet the pope. He said Catholics in Indonesia practice the Islamic concept of “silaturahmi,” often translated as “friendship” or “brotherhood,” which, he said, “means we encounter others—other religions, other cultures. We visit each other on our feast days,” especially when members of the same family or close neighbors belong to different religions.
“As Catholics, we are focused on its meaning as universal—we can accept others,” he said. “Our main service as Catholics is education—schools and universities. We can influence all our students,” including many who are not Catholic. “That way we can help implement ‘Pancasila.’”
After a woman and a young man gave brief testimonies about their ministries as catechists, Pope Francis told the crowd that catechists have the most important role in the church, followed by religious sisters, then priests and bishops. It was just one of many off-the-cuff comments the 87-year-old pope made during the meeting.
Pope Francis told the church workers that the variety found in humanity is a gift from God and a call to live as brothers and sisters with all people. “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.”
Faith and recognizing each other as brothers and sisters, the pope said, must lead to compassion—not just giving alms to the poor but drawing close to them, helping them stand and fighting for justice on their behalf.
“This doesn’t mean being a communist,” he said. “It means charity—love.”
“What keeps the world going is not the calculations of self-interest, which generally end up destroying creation and dividing communities,” the pope said, “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.”
Reporting from Cindy Wooden on Catholic News Service was used in this article.
