Pope Francis highlighted Indonesia’s “magnificent mosaic” for its ethnic and religious unity, which has allowed for a peaceful coexistence of cultures and languages that coexist in the nation with the world’s largest Muslim population and reached into the interior as part of his 12-day tour of Asia and Oceania.
“Harmony in respect of differences is achieved when each particular opinion takes into account common needs and when every ethnic group and religious confession acts in a spirit of fraternity, pursuing the noble goal of serving the good of all,” the Pope said in a speech following his private meeting with Indonesian President Joko Widodo.
Likewise, he stressed the “mutual respect for the particularities” of the different communities that make up the country, which makes “the Indonesian people remain united and proud,” as reported by the Vatican news portal and resumed Europe Press.
“This wise and delicate balance between the multiplicity of cultures, the different ideological visions and the reasons underlying unity, must be continually defended against any imbalance,” he added.
The Pope also called for “promoting peaceful and constructive harmony.” to “overcome the imbalances and pockets of misery” that still exist in some regions of the country, for which he proposed a strengthening of interreligious dialogue led by the Catholic Church.
After that, he warned against those who “distort religion, try to impose themselves using deception and violence”, after which he said that violent conflicts are usually triggered by “a lack of mutual respect” and the “intolerant desire to assert one’s own interests, position or vision at all costs”, which ends up causing “endless suffering for entire communities” and “real bloody wars”.
The Pope argued that these tensions come from the states themselves, which are trying to “uniform everything.” by imposing his position, and regretted that there are cases in which faith in God is used to “fuel divisions and increase hatred.”
Finally, the Pope concluded his speech by blessing Indonesia and its people: “May God bless Indonesia with peace, for a future full of hope. And may God bless you all!”
