Kisses of fraternity : Iconic image during Francis’ journey to this region

Sep 20, 2024

Sunday  Observer- Anil Netto
Pope Francis’ journey to this region has been significant in more ways than one.

He arrived in Southeast Asia to see a region whose challenges mirror many of the same problems plaguing the rest of the world: climate change, religious extremism, human trafficking, drug trafficking — and even a genocide and uprising in Myanmar.

On September 5, the bishop of Rome and Indonesia’s grand imam signed a joint declaration with leaders of other faiths, which focused on the first two of these threats. This was probably the highlight of his visit.

The “Joint Declaration of Istiqlal 2024” aims, as its subtitle suggests, to further the cause of “fostering religious harmony for the sake of humanity”.

The two-page declaration focuses on “dehumanisation and climate change”.

It decries the global phenomenon of dehumanisation marked by widespread violence and conflict. In this, “religion is often instrumentalised”.

The declaration also states that “the human exploitation of creation, our common home, has contributed to climate change”.

It calls on the various faiths to “defeat the culture of violence and indifference afflicting our world”. In its place should be “a culture of respect, dignity, compassion, reconciliation and fraternal solidarity”.

In all this, inter-religious dialogue can play a huge role in resolving conflict at various levels and overcoming threats to the world.

Across the Straits of Malacca and South China Sea, many Christians in Malaysia looked on with interest at Francis’ visit to Indonesia.

In Malaysia, Christians are a minority at nine per cent (Catholics almost five per cent) compared to 10 per cent (Catholics three per cent) in Indonesia. Somewhat similar, a small minority.

Yet, it was heartening to see the ease with which Muslim in Indonesia accepted Francis’ visit with grace and even warmly welcomed him to their land, the largest Muslim nation in the world.

The most enduring image was that of Francis and Indonesia’s Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar exchanging kisses. This was a powerful reminder of the bond of fraternity that is much needed between the world’s two largest faiths.

The image was widely shared across the region and who knows how far those ripples will reach.

Many in Malaysia hope that the goodwill generated from the encounter between leaders of these two major faiths in Indonesia will spill over to the rest of the region.

Referring to the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, the largest in the region, Francis noted it was designed by the architect Friedrich Silaban, a Christian. The mosque is linked by an underground “tunnel of friendship” to the Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption. This allows these two places of worship to be “connected” to each other.

Francis used the tunnel as a metaphor to drive home a couple of points.

On the surface, the mosque and the cathedral are well defined and frequented by their respective faithful. But underground, the same people can meet and encounter each other’s religious perspectives.

“This image reminds us of the important fact that the visible aspects of religions — the rites, practices and so on — are a heritage that must be protected and respected,” he said.

“However, we could say that what lies ‘underneath’, what runs underground, like the ‘tunnel of friendship’, is the one root common to all religious sensitivities: the quest for an encounter with the divine, the thirst for the infinite that the Almighty has placed in our hearts, the search for a greater joy and a life stronger than any type of death, which animates the journey of our lives and impels us to step out of ourselves to encounter God.”

Profound words.

The bishop of Rome also stressed the importance of preserving the bonds between the different faiths, like a tunnel creating a bond between two places.

But this does not mean discarding or overlooking our differences. “Sometimes we think that a meeting between religions is a matter of seeking common ground between different religious doctrines and beliefs no matter the cost.”

But such an approach, he warned, may end up dividing us, because the doctrines and dogmas of each religious experience are different.

“What really brings us closer is creating a connection in the midst of diversity, cultivating bonds of friendship, care and reciprocity. These relationships link us to others, allowing us to commit ourselves to seek the truth together, learning from the religious tradition of others, and coming together to meet our human and spiritual needs.”

More than that, these bonds allow us to work together and move forward together in pursuit of the same goals. And what are these goals? The “defence of human dignity, the fight against poverty and the promotion of peace”.

Yes, the challenges facing our region are legion — like the demons that possessed the man from the tombs in the region of the Gerasenes.

But by building bridges of fraternity and understanding between our faiths, we can form bonds that connect us and allow us to confront these problems together — and ultimately cast them away.

Anil Netto is a freelance writer and activist based in Penang. He believes we are all called to build the kingdom of God in this world.