Jakarta — The Archbishop of Jakarta, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, explained the reasons for Pope Francis’s visit to Indonesia. One reason is the amazement of the Vatican and other European countries at the diversity in the homeland.
In addition, there has indeed been a long-standing relationship between Indonesia and the Vatican.
“First, the relationship between the Vatican and the Republic of Indonesia has been ongoing since the early days of independence. In fact, in 1947, the Vatican already had a representative in Indonesia,” he stated.
Not only that, he continued, it turns out that the Vatican was also one of the first countries to recognize Indonesia’s independence.
“The Vatican was one of the first countries to recognize Indonesia’s independence. The Vatican truly supported the struggle for the independence of the Republic of Indonesia,” stated the Archbishop of Jakarta.
Furthermore, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo also mentioned that the Vatican highly values Indonesia.
Another reason is that it turns out that starting from the Vatican, including various other European countries, are very curious about how it is possible for a country as large and diverse as Indonesia to unite harmoniously.
“I think it’s not just the Vatican, but European countries in general want to know more about how Indonesia, a country as vast as this with all its diversity, can live as one nation,” said the Cardinal.
He believes that the diversity and unity of Indonesia are very appealing to Europeans, making them eager to experience it.
Moreover, specifically, they also want to better understand Islam in Indonesia because it seems different from the image that Europeans have, which is often associated with Pakistan or the Middle East.
However, Islam in Indonesia is different because it is more open and tolerant.
“Indonesia’s Islam is different. It is an open Islam, a tolerant Islam. That is what the Vatican really wants to understand,” said the Cardinal Bishop.
Due to this strong curiosity, it is not surprising that when there are interfaith events at the Vatican, many representatives from Indonesia receive invitations and are asked to speak.
The last reason why Pope Francis is coming to Indonesia, according to Cardinal Suharyo, is that there are certainly a significant number of Catholics, and the churches in the country are vibrant places of worship.
“Because there are quite a few Catholics in Indonesia, around 9 million,” he explained.
“It has been explicitly stated that the Catholic Church in Indonesia is a living church,” concluded the Archbishop of Jakarta.