In calling for social justice, Pope Francis spoke the same language as Indonesia’s leaders

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.

This was to send an unequivocal message that the world rejects those who use religion to wage war, and to urge people of all faiths to build open societies predicated on trust and respect as fellow travellers in search of God.

His message was impactful not just solely from the strength of his convictions, but also because it struck the same chord as remarks made by outgoing Indonesian President Joko Widodo, and the country’s top imam Nasaruddin Umar.

The Pope did not mention the Israeli-Palestinian conflict even once in his speeches. But his exhortation was loud and clear: A society has to be built on social justice – the idea that everyone deserves equal access to things like economic opportunities and political rights – and religion is never a reason for close-mindedness or confrontation. 

Social justice was the main theme in the 87-year-old pontiff’s

first speech in Jakarta on Sept 4,

which he gave at the presidential palace before an audience that included both Mr Widodo and President-elect Prabowo Subianto.

A lack of “true and forward-looking commitment” in bringing about social justice is why a considerable part of humanity is today left on the margins, with neither a dignified existence nor any defence against serious social imbalances that trigger acute conflicts, the Pope said.

Such conflicts are also caused by the absence of mutual respect, and the intolerant desire to let “one’s own interests (and) partial historical narrative prevail at all costs” even when they lead to bloodshed and suffering for entire communities, he added.

Forerunning this message was Mr Widodo, who noted Indonesia’s appreciation for the Vatican’s continued calls for peace in Palestine and support for a two-state solution. 

“War will not benefit anyone. War will only bring suffering and misery to the common people,” he said of the conflict, which has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

Lawyer Sweida Zulalhamsyah, 70, who is of the Muslim faith, said the Pope stood up for all men through his words. “He stood up for Palestine, just the same as Indonesia. It’s very clear. Israel has to be two states,” added the president of the Asosiasi Alumni Jesuit Indonesia, an alumni association for those who went to a Jesuit school.

Mr Sweida said he could appreciate the spirit behind what the Pope said due to his upbringing in a Jesuit school where many were taught the concept of brotherhood, also known as fraternity. “We believe in man and woman for and with others,” he said, noting that Pope Francis is a Jesuit.

“And we believe in Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam,” he continued, citing a Latin phrase translated as “for the greater glory of God”. While he is not a Catholic, he said this line holds profound significance as it highlights the common space to be found as one seeks God.

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 inter-religious meeting on Sept 5.

Messy as it can sometimes be for those of different faiths to live side by side while cultivating one’s own spirituality, doing so opens people to the possibility of “a genuine experience of fraternity”, he said as he urged Indonesians to continue along this path.

Such societies, built as they are on mutual respect and love, would also be more resilient against rigidity, fundamentalism and extremism, “which are always dangerous and never justifiable”, he said.

This sentiment was returned by Grand Imam Nasaruddin, who highlighted the mosque’s mission of promoting religious tolerance and moderation in Islam.

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.

Pointing out how it is worrying that religion is “often instrumentalised in this regard”, it stated that the role of religion should instead include promoting and safeguarding the dignity of every human life. 

To this end, the mosque’s work has just begun, as the devil lies in putting the declaration’s ideals into practice, Dr Nasaruddin told The Straits Times.

Mr Widodo’s last words for Pope Francis, in a pre-recorded address after the pontiff’s arrival at

Holy Mass on Sept 5,

attended by more than 80,000, also described his country’s diversity as its strength.

“In Indonesia, differences are wealth, and tolerance is fertiliser for our unity and peace as a nation,” said the President, who attended the mass, to cheers from attendees.

It echoed the Pope’s remarks earlier in the day that Indonesia’s most precious treasure was not its gold reserves, but its determination to resolve differences through concord.

“Do not lose this gift. Do not impoverish yourselves of this great treasure. Cultivate it and pass it on, especially to the young,” he stressed. 

‘Bottom-up’ approach to faith

Given the intersection between religion and many of today’s conflicts, one can see why the Pope’s words have been embraced by both politicians and fellow religious leaders, and graced the front pages of Indonesian newspapers for days.

And this was in the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, whose roughly eight million Catholics represent less than 3 per cent of the population, compared with 87 per cent, or 242 million, who are Muslim.

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 papacy never gave up on co-shaping world affairs,” said Dr Chambon, who is also a Catholic theologian. “It might have reshaped its language, and accepted the temporal-spiritual distinction, but it has not given up a square metre of concerns and engagements with world affairs.”

Through the visit, Indonesia showed the world that its religious coexistence is based on a shared belief that religion can be a positive force for the country, and not something the authorities treat as a risk to be managed from the top down, he added.

However, Dr Chambon also noted that the trip’s

upcoming leg to Papua New Guinea

will see the Pope visit not just its capital of Port Moresby, but also Vanimo, a small town near the border with Indonesia. There, the fraught question of turmoil in the nearby Indonesian province of West Papua will be difficult to avoid, he said.

The issue of social justice may yet be salient, given the history between the two neighbouring countries.

But some have told The Straits Times they do not see geopolitics as a factor in the Pope’s visit, and attribute the success of the Jakarta leg to the pontiff’s sincerity.

“What he effectively did in Indonesia was to tell the world that this is a very nice country that we can learn from about tolerance,” said Ms Uma Parwati, 59, a former human resource executive from the Kalvari parish in East Jakarta.

Just how different is the brand of Islam practised here? Very, according to Indonesian journalist Francisca Christy Rosana, who said her family is a living testament to this, with four different religions being practised in her family.

Her grandparents started out as Muslims. Her elder sister practises Islam. One of her aunts is Hindu. One of her uncles is Buddhist. And she and her parents are Catholic.

The 32-year-old, who works for Tempo magazine, said there is respect for the paths individuals want to take. Especially in bigger cities like Jakarta, the notion that faith is something to be imposed by society or a certain Muslim majority is quickly wearing out, she said.

“People are more open-minded now. I have Muslim friends, and there is nothing like discrimination. They send me to church sometimes,” she said. “Religion is a personal choice.”