Ahead of papal visit, Indonesian religions pledge to save earth

Aug 15, 2024

JAKARTA: A group of representatives of various religions in Indonesia has issued a joint declaration to protect “the earth as our common home” ahead of Pope Francis' visit to the Muslim-majority nation next month.

The declaration was issued after religious representatives met at a Hindu temple in Jakarta on Aug.14. Representatives of Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Baha’is attended the dialogue.

The inter-religious program also marked the visit of Father Massimo Fusarelli, minister general of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly known as the Franciscans.

The joint declaration of religious leaders expressed their commitment to caring for the earth “by realizing a frugal lifestyle and respecting the sanctity or sacredness of nature.”

They also pledged to “create a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment and ensure that the rights of indigenous peoples and future generations are fulfilled, local wisdom is maintained, and the earth's welfare is made possible.”

Dini Pramita, an activist from the Mining Advocacy Network, presented an overview of current environmental issues and the damage caused by the extractive industry, “making people poor and forced to live side by side with disasters” in Kalimantan, Maluku and other regions of Indonesia.

Ahmad Maulana, a social activist working for marginalized communities on the banks of the Ciliwung River in Jakarta, explained how playgrounds and green open spaces were shrinking in the city.

On the other hand, “polluted rivers and worsening air quality have become commonplace and are no longer a cause for concern,” he said.

Father Yohanes Kristoforus Tara, from the advocacy division of the Franciscan Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission, said religious leaders' joint commitment would help “our advocacy efforts in mining, geothermal power, and other issues.”

“We also want to invite more people to understand that ecological problems are humanitarian problems, as has always been emphasized by the Church,” he told UCA News.

The priest said that “as emphasized by the Indonesian bishops' conference, the pope's visit is just as important as efforts to explore and find concrete forms of implementing his messages” contained in his encyclicals.

The participants included Protestant pastor Matias Filemon Hadiputro from Javanese Christian Church, Muslim woman leader Nissa Wargadipura of the Ath-Thaariq Ecological Boarding School, Buddhist Atthadhiro Thera from Sangha Theravada Indonesia, J. M. I. Wayan Gelgel, Hindu representative Pinandita Sanggraha Nusantara, Budi S. Tanuwibowo, chairman of the Indonesian Confucian Supreme Council and Nasrin Astani, an interfaith activist from the Baha’i faith.--ucanews.com