Vatican City (Fides Service) - Build brotherhood, promote national unity, foster ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue, fight secularisation, form competent laity and youth, continue to side with the outcasts: these are the challenges identified by the Catholic Bishops of Indonesia who are presently in Rome on their ad limina visit, to confide to the Pope the joys and sorrows of their local Churches and pray at the tombs of St Peter and St Paul. Fides Service interviewed the Bishops.
Bishop Martinus Situmorang of Padang in Sumatra said: "First of all we must strive to live out our faith, promoting peace without fear or pride of sense of superiority, building genuine brotherhood among ethnic groups. It is undoubtedly important to give special attention to the human and Christian formation of our youth and our laity in general, so they are well prepared for the mission of the Church I also think that we have duty to be close to those who are poor, outcast, denied instruction, because the economic crisis in the late 1990s left much unemployment and poverty, while a political struggle for power and wealth continued, with no attention for the real needs of the people. Today the Church is called to address the suffering of the people".
From this viewpoint, Bishop Giulio Mencuccini, of Sanggau in Borneo, underlined the need to "give particular attention to formation so that in the new situation of democracy in Indonesia, Catholics are equipped to bear witness to the Gospel in any party or movement. Catholics must be able to show how Christian values can be proclaimed and lived also in the political and social fields".
According to Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar of Jayapura, Indonesian Papua, "the Church must prepare to fight a secularised mentality which has a strong influence particularly in towns. I see as a major challenge apostolate among intellectuals, because very often educated people think religion is only for women and children. Moreover in Jayapura, as in many other parts of Indonesia, it is important to pay attention to relations with other Christians. There are many Protestant denominations that are not always in good relations with one another, my role is often to act as a unifying element. I often say I want to promote common initiatives to be signs of unity".
Bishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of Amboina in the Molucca Islands underlines the need to build brotherhood between ethnic groups and religions in a country with such a variety of ethnic groups and religions. "In the Moluccas today we are very happy because Muslims and Protestants live happily side by side. Before the conflict there was an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust, today hearts are more open and the situation is much better. People's minds are more open to dialogue and mutual recognition. I think this is a challenge for the whole of Indonesia: to build brotherhood based on respect. On this front the Church in Indonesia is totally committed and its contribution can be decisive." PA (Fides Service 21/3/2003 EM lines 38 Words: 515)