Jakarta – In his historic visit to Indonesia, Pope Francis delivered a meaningful speech at the State Palace today. On that occasion, the leader of the World Catholic Church praised the motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which means “Unity in Diversity,” and called for the importance of peace and harmony in a pluralistic society.
Pope Francis began his speech by greeting President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and thanking him for the warm welcome he has received since his arrival in Indonesia.
Pope Francis highlighted the importance of the motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika as a reflection of the strength and beauty of cultural diversity in Indonesia. He then went on to discuss harmony, emphasizing that harmony can only be achieved when all groups in society move in a spirit of brotherhood.
“Harmony in diversity is achieved when particular perspectives take into account the common needs of all people and when all ethnic and religious groups act in a spirit of fraternity,” Pope Francis said in Italian.
The Pope also stressed the need to maintain balance between cultural diversity and different ideologies.
“This wise but delicate balance between the great cultural diversity and the different ideologies and ideals that strengthen unity must be constantly defended from various imbalances,” he said.
The Pope also stressed the importance of awareness of participating in history and the role of each individual in preserving the values of harmony.
“Solidarity and efforts to achieve peace both within society and with other nations to strengthen peaceful and fruitful harmony that guarantees peace and unites efforts to eliminate inequality and suffering in various regions of the country, the Catholic Church wishes to increase interreligious dialogue. In this way, prejudice can be eliminated and an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust can grow,” he added.
The Pope also emphasized that the Catholic Church is committed to enhancing interreligious dialogue as a way to eliminate prejudice and build an atmosphere of mutual respect.
“A wise man once said, politics is the ultimate freedom. We must fight extremism and intolerance that in the name of religion seeks to use violence to seize power. The Catholic Church wants to achieve peace and respect for all religions,” Pope Francis stressed.
President Jokowi said this visit had a message about the importance of differences.
“This visit has a very strong message about the importance of celebrating differences. Where Indonesia is a pluralistic country consisting of various ethnicities,” said the President.
President Jokowi also had a chat with Pope Francis about the richness of diversity in Indonesia, where the President said that Indonesia has 714 ethnic groups.
“Earlier I told the Holy Father that we have 714 ethnic groups. And we also have 17 thousand islands that we live on, all of which have different cultures, religions and ethnicities,” he said.
