For Immediate Release From Catholic News Service!
(A Ten-Minute Read)
Pope Praises 'Tunnel of Friendship' Linking Jakarta Mosque, Cathedral!
During his visit to Indonesia, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of religious communities recognizing and respecting each other's faiths, highlighting their shared search for God, and signed a joint declaration with religious leaders promoting dignity, peace, and environmental care. By Cindy Wooden
JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNS) -- While members of every religion must be free to profess and practice their faith, they also should recognize that members of other religions have that right, too, and they all are searching for God, Pope Francis said.
Nasaruddin Umar, the grand imam of the Istiqlal Mosque, welcomed the pope to the mosque compound Sept. 5 and led him directly to the "tunnel of friendship," a wide underground walkway that connects the mosque and the Catholic cathedral across the busy street.
Like the pope, the imam was dressed in white from head to toe and greeted Pope Francis with a kiss on the cheek. At the end of the meeting, Umar put an arm around the pope's shoulder and kissed him on the top of the head. Pope Francis, who was seated in his wheelchair, took the imam's hand and kissed it.
Earlier, facing the entrance to the tunnel, Pope Francis had told the imam and donors who helped build it, "When we think of a tunnel, we might easily imagine a dark pathway. This could be frightening, especially if we are alone. Yet here it is different, for everything is illuminated."
"I would like to tell you, however, that you are the light that illuminates it," the pope said, "and you do so by your friendship, by the harmony you cultivate, the support you give each other, and by journeying together, which leads you in the end toward the fullness of light."
The pope and imam signed "The Istiqlal Declaration," a short document committing members of both religious communities to defending human dignity, especially when threatened with violence, and to defending the integrity of creation.
"The values shared by our religious traditions should be effectively promoted in order to defeat the culture of violence and indifference afflicting our world," the declaration said. "Indeed, religious values should be directed toward promoting a culture of respect, dignity, compassion, reconciliation and fraternal solidarity in order to overcome both dehumanization and environmental destruction."
Engkus Ruswana, a leader of Majelis Luhur Kepercayaan Indonesia, an organization for followers of Indigenous religions, said his faith's priority "is humanity and community, and the relationship between the human and nature. Indigenous religions, you know, have a good relationship between human beings and nature. Our principle is that we have to care for the Earth, for the world."
In a large tent draped with the white and red colors of the Indonesian flag, Ruswana joined the imam, the pope and other representatives of the country's religious communities, including Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus and Confucians.
Engkus Ruswana, leader of an Indigenous religious group in Indonesia, gives an interview.
Engkus Ruswana, leader of an Indigenous religious group in Indonesia, gives an interview before Pope Francis leads a meeting with Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and other religious representatives at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, Sept. 5, 2024. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
The formal meeting began with the chanting of a passage from the Quran by Kayla Nur Syahwa, 16, who won a national Quran recitation contest for children with disabilities, and a reading from the Gospels by a Catholic priest.
Pope Francis asked the religious leaders to consider how the tunnel can be a metaphor for the faith life of Indonesians by providing a meeting ground between the prayer spaces of two communities.
The tunnel, he said, should be a sign that "all of us, together, each cultivating his or her own spirituality and practicing his or her religion, may walk in search of God and contribute to building open societies, founded on reciprocal respect and mutual love, capable of protecting against rigidity, fundamentalism and extremism, which are always dangerous and never justifiable."
"The visible aspects of religions -- the rites, practices and so on -- are a heritage that must be protected and respected," the pope said. "However, we could say that what lies 'underneath,' what runs underground, like the 'tunnel of friendship,' is the one root common to all religious sensitivities: the quest for an encounter with the divine, the thirst for the infinite that the Almighty has placed in our hearts, the search for a greater joy and a life stronger than any type of death, which animates the journey of our lives and impels us to step out of ourselves to encounter God."
The Rev. Kriese Anki Gosal, a Presbyterian minister and vice general secretary of the Communion of Churches, the main ecumenical body in Indonesia, said, "The visit of the pope is very amazing for us. We want to have our pope's message."
When asked about using "our" to refer to the pope, she said, "He is the pope of all people. He has messages we must pass on," whether one is a Catholic or not, a Christian or not.
The Rev. Jacklevyn Manuputty, general secretary of the ecumenical group that includes 97 churches and Christian communities, insisted Christians -- who make up about 10% of Indonesia's population -- are not minorities. "We are citizens, not minorities. 'Majority-minority' are political terms that can and have been misused."
"We are living in one of the most diverse countries in the world, so dialogue is our lifestyle," he said. "All over the world there is a growing tendency of populism and identity politics based on race or religion -- dialogue is how we promote authenticity."
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Pope tells Muslims, Catholics: Be fraternal!:
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For Immediate Release From Vatican News!
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Pope to Young Papuans: Choose Harmony, Not Division
Pope Francis meets with young people from Papua New Guinea at the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, encouraging them to practice “the language of love and service”. By Renato Martinez
Setting aside his prepared speech, Pope Francis engaged in a back-and-forth dialogue with the estimated 10,000 young people gathered at the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby.
“You in Papua, who speak more than 800 languages, share a common language,” the Pope said: “that of love and service.”
Young People’s Three Testimonies
A number of young people then came forward and addressed the Pope.
The first testimony came from Patricia Harricknen-Korpok, a member of the Catholic Professionals Association, who spoke of the challenges of witnessing Catholic faith and morals in a society heavily influenced by the entertainment industry, social media, and technology.
Then Ryan Vulum shared his difficult childhood experience in a broken family, saying the Church became his refuge. He explained that many young people in Papua New Guinea struggle with the same challenges, finding it difficult to communicate with parents who are either separated or absent. This, he said, often leads to involvement in substance abuse, illegal activities, and a loss of hope.
The final testimony came from Bernadette Turmoni, a member of the Legion of Mary, who spoke about the devastating effects of family abuse on young people. “Those who are victims feel unloved and disrespected, which can lead them to suicide or abandoning their families,” she said. Bernadette also highlighted the issue of poverty, despite Papua New Guinea's wealth of natural resources. Many young people, she said, drop out of school and resort to drug dealing, theft, or begging.
Problems
Following a colourful welcome dance by a group of young people dressed in traditional attire, Bishop John Bosco Auram of the Diocese of Kimbe greeted the Pope.
He highlighted the major challenges facing Papua New Guinean youth, such as living out Christian values within their families and society, limited opportunities for growth and development, and frustrations arising from unmet expectations of society, government, and even the Church.
Pope Francis: “Face TheFfuture With Smiles of Hope”
Pope Francis, for his part, expressed his joy at spending time in Papua New Guinea, a land of oceans, mountains, and tropical forests.
He noted that Papua is a young country filled with young people and is called to “to face the future with smiles of hope.”
“Thank you for your joy, and for how you have shared the beauty of Papua, where the ocean meets the sky, where dreams are born, and challenges arise,” the Pope said.
Youth Are The Hope Of The Future
Addressing the over 10,000 young participants, Pope Francis explained that he couldn’t leave Papua New Guinea without meeting them because the young are our hope for the future.
He offered them the biblical story of the Tower of Babel as a lesson, contrasting two ways of living and building society: one that leads to confusion and division, and another that fosters harmony through encounter with God and our fellow humans.
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Christianity: A Tapestry Of Faces
In Papua New Guinea, Pope Francis fulfills his dream of embracing the world's most remote periphery. By Andrea Tornielli
Christianity is not merely a philosophy, a set of ideas, or a manual of moral rules. It is an event, woven with wonder and human faces. This truth was once again made evident on a sweltering Sunday afternoon in Vanimo and the remote village of Baro. There was awe and gratitude in the faces of Miguel De la Calle, Martín Prado, and Tomás Ravaioli, the Argentine missionaries of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, who joyfully dedicate their lives to spreading the Gospel in this far-flung corner of the world—an area as vibrant and colorful as a Paul Gauguin painting.
There was awe and gratitude in the face of Pope Francis himself, who at almost 88 years old, despite being confined to a wheelchair, boarded an Australian Air Force Hercules C130 loaded with aid and gifts. After a decade-long dream, he finally arrived to embrace this distant periphery, greeting those joyful missionaries clad in white, like himself, and, most importantly, like their people—people who came to know the Mother of Jesus through the face of “Mama Luján,” the patroness of Argentina.
The sight of Pope Francis in the modest wooden house of the missionaries, sipping mate, was remarkable. The room, draped with mosquito nets, had just witnessed him mingle with a crowd of men, women, and children dressed in vibrant garments, adorned with feathers and straw, their bodies painted in colorful patterns. For years, the Successor of Peter has been in close contact with his fellow Argentinians, who bear witness to the unconditional love of God among these people. His bond is especially strong with Father Martín. Yesterday, the young missionary was overwhelmed with gratitude for his friend, who defied all odds to be present, even if only for a few hours, to witness with his own eyes the birth of a new church and the immense challenges it faces—challenges embraced with joy.
Vanimo and Baro face many difficulties. The people live in precarious conditions, lacking running water, electricity, and access to sufficient medical supplies. Violence, tribalism, and the exploitation of the region's vast mineral and timber resources by multinational corporations are harsh realities. Yet, amidst these struggles, the fathers of the Institute of the Incarnate Word established a string orchestra in 2018, composed of children and young people, on this stretch of the Pacific coast between the jungle and the coral reef. Among the tons of supplies carried by the Pope’s military plane were violins and cellos. Delighted like a child, Francis listened to a couple of pieces performed by the orchestra. The scene
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Cardinal Ribat: Pope’s Visit To PNG Underscores Unity Of Global Church
Offering his take on Pope Francis’ just-concluded Apostolic Visit to Papua New Guinea, the Cardinal Archbishop of Port Moresby highlights the Holy Father's closeness to young people, his support for women's rights, and the impact of his visit on the local Church and the wider world.
By Francesca Merlo and Delphine Allaire - Port Moresby
One of Pope Francis' most powerful messages in Papua New Guinea, according to Cardinal John Ribat, Archbishop of Port Moresby, was the one he delivered to young people on Monday morning.
It was plain to see that the Pope engaged in a personal connection with the 10,000 young people gathered in the Sir John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby, as he set aside his prepared text and spoke to them from the heart.
Speaking to Vatican News' Delphine Allaire after the Pope had left the island nation, Cardinal Ribat noted that the Holy Father encouraged young Papuans to stand up when they fall and to help others who have also fallen.
“That was a powerful message for the youth,” he said, “to help one another, not just seek help from outside, but also from within themselves, and to rise together."
"He also gave them another message,” the Cardinal continued. "They need to stay connected with their grandparents.”
The Cardinal explained that, as he often does, Pope Francis highlighted the invaluable riches that come from our grandparents—"values and culture that now, with so many modern influences, we risk disconnecting from.” The internet and social media can never provide those values, added the Cardinal.
The Role of Women In Papuan Society
Turning to the Pope’s off-the-cuff remarks to civil authorities on the rights of women, Cardinal Ribat noted that the culture of Papua New Guinea is male-dominated and "emphasises men, looking down on women.”
Women are not respected or promoted for their contributions to society, said the Cardinal, adding that this “often leads to violence against them.”
“But women are the ones who are committed; they are the great builders of society,” he continued, noting that the Pope’s words recognise and promote this fact. “Women should be respected, loved, and promoted. They, too, need to live their lives freely, just as men do, but in a responsible and positive way,” he said.
Resource Management
Pope Francis also directly addressed issues concerning the nation's natural wealth and its management.
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Monday, September 9th 2024 at 1:54PM
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