INDONESIA The Pope to the Indonesian Church: ‘Missionaries hand in hand’

Meeting with bishops, clergy and pastoral workers in Jakarta Cathedral: “Announcing the Gospel does not mean imposing or opposing one’s own faith to that of others.” He called a catechist to his side and said: “They are the ones who carry the Church forward.” “What keeps the world going is not self-interested calculations, but charity that is given.”

Jakarta (Indonesia) – “Catechists are those who carry the Church forward. They are the ones who go in front. Then come the nuns – immediately after the catechists – and then come the priests, the bishop… But the catechists are ‘in front’, they are the strength of the Church.” Before beginning his speech this evening to the bishops, priests and pastoral workers of the Church of Indonesia, in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Jakarta, Pope Francis called Agnes, the catechist who had addressed one of the greetings to him, to his side.

The Pope wished to underline in a particular way the importance of these people and of all the people of God when he spoke to the representatives of the 37 dioceses of the country at the meeting dedicated to the journey of the Church in this vast country. “There are cardinals, there are bishops, there are priests, there are nuns, there are lay people, there are children – said Francis – but we are all brothers. The most important thing is not the Pope, the cardinal, the bishop… We are all brothers. Each one has his task to help the people of God grow. Do you understand?”

“Faith, fraternity and compassion” – the three words chosen as the motto for this apostolic visit to Indonesia – were the central theme of the Pope’s speech, which he added many improvised phrases to the prepared text. Next to him was Cardinal Ignazio Suharyo, Archbishop of Jakarta, while the President of the Episcopal Conference, the Bishop of Bandung, Msgr. Antonio Subianto Bunjamin, gave him the initial greeting and also thanked him for the new diocese of Labuan Bajo, recently created.

Indonesian soil itself speaks of faith. “It is a great country,” he said, “with enormous natural wealth, in flora, fauna, energy resources and raw materials. Such great wealth could easily become, if considered superficially, a reason for pride and presumption, but, if considered with an open mind and heart, it can instead be a reminder of God, of his presence in the cosmos, of his life and of our life, as Sacred Scripture teaches us. Indeed, it is the Lord who gives all this.”

As for fraternity, it is a lifestyle to which the Church is called first of all in evangelization: “Announcing the Gospel does not mean imposing or opposing one’s own faith to that of others – explained Francis – it does not mean proselytizing, it means giving and sharing the joy of the encounter with Christ, always with great respect and fraternal affection for all”. Quoting an expression of Father Maxi, the priest who spoke on behalf of all the diocesan priests of Indonesia, he defined it as a mission that makes its way “hand in hand”, a prophecy of “communion, in a world where instead it seems that the tendency to divide, to impose and to provoke one another is growing, more and more. And do you know who is the person who causes the most divisions in the world? – he asked -. It is the devil. Be careful!”

Finally, compassion. There are people who are afraid of this word – Francis recalled – “they consider it a weakness, and instead they praise, as if it were a virtue, the cunning of those who mind their own business, keeping their distance from everyone.” But what keeps the world going is not self-interested calculations, but charity that gives itself away.” Compassion “also means embracing dreams and desires for redemption and justice, caring for them. And that does not mean being a ‘communist’, it means charity.”

“I encourage you to continue your mission, strong in faith, open to all in fraternity and close to everyone in compassion,” concluded Francis, and recommended that they always welcome everyone into their own communities. “I am very struck by that parable in the Gospel – he added – when the wedding guests do not want to attend. What does the Lord do? Does he get bitter? No. He sends his servants: ‘Go to the crossroads and invite everyone to the wedding’, everyone. I also think of all the islands… And the Lord says to the good people, to you: ‘Come all, all’. ‘But, Lord, that one…’. ‘To all, to all, good and bad… I give you my blessing, I thank you for all the good you do every day on these beautiful islands. I pray for you. And please, I ask you to pray for me.”