Pope Francis' message struck the same chord as remarks made by Indonesia's president as well as its top imam.
JAKARTA – As he left Indonesia for Papua New Guinea on Sept 6, Pope Francis left little doubt that he had accomplished a mission he had set out at the onset of his 12-day Asia-Pacific tour.
Pope Francis and Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the presidential palace in Jakarta on Sept 4. PHOTO: AFP “War will not benefit anyone. War will only bring suffering and misery to the common people,” he also said of the conflict, which has claimed more than 40,000 lives. Indeed, this shone through in the Pope’s other speeches, especially when he addressed members of Indonesia’s six official religions at Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque, South-east Asia’s largest, during an interreligious meeting on Sept 5.
The two clerics’ mutual alignment culminated in the signing of a joint declaration on interfaith friendship. One of the document’s stated focuses is to tackle the “global phenomenon of dehumanisation”, marked especially by the widespread violence and conflict seen today. It echoed the Pope’s remarks earlier that day, that Indonesia’s most precious treasure was not its gold reserves, but its determination to resolve differences through concord.
Cultural anthropologist Michel Chambon, a research fellow with the National University of Singapore’s Asia Research Institute, said the Pope’s messaging in Indonesia was a global statement to both the Muslim and Christian worlds. The issue of social justice may yet be salient, given the history between the two neighbouring countries.
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