Invite Interfaith Dialogue, Pope Francis: Diplomas Can Be Removed, Trust In Each Other Can Grow

Pope Francis And President Jokowi At The State Palace/INDONESIA PAPAPAL VISIT COMMITTEE

JAKARTA - Pope Francis talked about efforts to strengthen the harmony of the entire community. This world Catholic church leader invites all parties to seek dialogue with various religious backgrounds and beliefs. This was conveyed by the Pope in his speech while visiting the Presidential Palace. During his visit, the Pope was greeted by President Joko Widodo, state officials, community leaders, and the diplomatic corps. "To strengthen peaceful and fruitful harmony that guarantees peace and unites efforts to eliminate inequality and suffering that still survive in some parts of the country, the Catholic church wants to promote interfaith dialogue," said the Pope, Wednesday, September 4. According to the Pope, interfaith dialogue is critical to facing common challenges, including challenges to counter extremism and intolerance, which through religious deformation, seeks to enforce their point of view by using deception and violence. "In this way, prejudice can be removed and an atmosphere of mutual respect and mutual trust can grow," he said. On the one hand, the Vatican Head of State revealed the meaning of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika which is the motto of the Indonesian nation. literally, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika means "different but still one jua". The Pope interprets more than that. "This motto also shows that, like the biodiversity in this island nation, it is a source of wealth and beauty, as well as your differences specifically contribute to the formation of a very large mosaic, where each ceramic is an irreplaceable element in creating authentic and valuable masterpieces," explained the Pope.

For the Pope, harmony within differences is achieved when certain perspectives consider the common needs of everyone. Harmony is also obtained if every ethnic group and religious denomination acts in the spirit of brotherhood while pursuing noble goals by serving the common good. "Awareness to participate in shared history, in which solidarity is an element of hakiki and everyone contributes, helping to identify the right solutions, to avoid annoyance that arises from differences and to change resistance to effective cooperation," he added.