INDONESIA Pope Francis and the Grand Imam: ‘Together against dehumanization’

The Istiqlal Declaration was signed in Jakarta during the interreligious meeting. It called on believers to work together to defend the dignity of every person in conflicts and in the fight against climate change. As he walked through the “tunnel of friendship” between the mosque and the cathedral, the pontiff invited people to “look deeply” to find what unites religions and to “cherish the bonds of friendship” that make encounters in diversity possible.

Jakarta () – Dehumanisation, which in widespread conflicts causes “an alarming number of victims, especially women, children and the elderly”, and “the role of religion, which must include the promotion and protection of the dignity of every human life”, as well as the challenge to the abuse of creation by humans, with “destructive consequences such as natural disasters, global warming and unpredictable weather conditions”. These are the two areas of commitment contained in the Joint Declaration of Istiqlal “Promoting religious harmony for the good of humanity”, the document signed this morning by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar at the Istiqlal mosque – the largest in Southeast Asia – within the framework of the interreligious meeting, which was also attended by representatives of other religious communities in Indonesia.

This is a short text, in continuity with the Declaration on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi during his 2019 trip, but which places special emphasis on two particularly painful wounds of our time: the increasingly widespread denial of the dignity of every person in the conflicts that bleed the world dry and the destruction of the environment, which shows no signs of stopping and whose consequences are increasingly evident in the Asia-Pacific region.

“Since there is one global human family – the text says – interreligious dialogue must be recognized as an effective tool for resolving local, regional and international conflicts, especially those caused by the abuse of religion. Furthermore, our religious beliefs and rituals have a special capacity to speak to the human heart and thus promote a deeper respect for human dignity.”

“Recognizing the vital need for a healthy, peaceful and harmonious atmosphere in order to authentically serve God and care for creation,” the Declaration continues, “we sincerely invite all people of good will to act decisively to preserve the integrity of the ecosystem and its resources inherited from previous generations, which we hope to pass on to our children and grandchildren.”

Pope Francis had arrived at the Istiqlal mosque through the “tunnel of friendship”, the underground passage of about thirty metres that connects the Catholic cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption with the large Muslim place of worship, in the central Merdeka Square. The pontiff, who was welcomed by Imam Nasaruddin Umar, pointed out the particularity of this sign. “If we think of a tunnel – he said – we easily imagine a dark path that, especially if we are alone, can be frightening. However, here it is different, because everything is illuminated. But I would like to tell you that you are the light that illuminates it, with your friendship, with the harmony that you cultivate, with your mutual support and with your journey together that leads you, at the end of the road, to the full light.” And that is a role that all believers, of any religious tradition, are called to play in these dark times marked by so many threats: to help everyone to walk with their gaze turned towards the light, and in this way we can “recognize, in those who have walked alongside us, a brother, a sister, with whom we can share life and mutually support each other.”

From the sign that represents the tunnel, Francis invited us to discover two other lessons. The first: to always look deeply, “because only there can we find what unites beyond differences.” “The visible aspects of religions – rites, practices, etc. – are a traditional heritage that must be protected and respected; but what is “below”, we could say the common root of all religious sensibilities, is one: the search for an encounter with the divine, the thirst for infinity that the Almighty has placed in our hearts, the search for a greater joy and a life stronger than any death, which encourages the journey of our life and drives us to go out of ourselves to meet God.” “Looking deeply – he insisted – we discover that we are all brothers, all pilgrims, all on the way to God, beyond what differentiates us.”

The other invitation was to care for relationships. “Sometimes we think that the encounter between religions is a matter of seeking at all costs common points between the different doctrines and religious professions,” Pope Francis commented. But this ends up “dividing us, because the doctrines and dogmas of each religious experience are different. What really brings us together is creating a connection between our differences, taking care to cultivate bonds of friendship, care and reciprocity.”

“These are relationships in which each person opens up to the other,” he explained, “in which we commit ourselves to seeking the truth together, learning from each other’s religious tradition, helping each other in human and spiritual needs. These are bonds that allow us to work together, to walk together to achieve some goal, in the defense of human dignity, in the fight against poverty, in the promotion of peace. Unity is born from personal bonds of friendship, from mutual respect, from the mutual defense of each other’s spaces and ideas. May they always take care of that.”