Young people gather for Indonesia Youth Day

Oct 20, 2016

MANADO, Indonesia: Thousands of Indonesian Catholic youths have gathered in Manado Diocese, in North Sulawesi province, to celebrate Indonesia Youth Day (IYD)

Some 2,500 youths from 37 dioceses across the country and Kota Kinabalu Archdiocese in neighboring Malaysia are taking part in the Oct. 1-6 event, — the second of its kind — which this year has the theme, "The Joy of Gospel Amidst Indonesia’s Plural Society."

All participants spent the few first days staying with Catholic and non-Catholic families in a "live in program" in 39 of diocese’s 64 parishes.

Bishop Pius Riana Pribadi, who heads the Indonesian bishops’ conference’s youth commission, said this year the youths will celebrate pluralism.

"We’re encouraging them as agents of change to contribute to maintain the country’s principles, namely, unity, despite the differences of religion, ethnicity and culture," the bishop said on Oct. 3.

Father Rheinner Saneba, the IYD’s committee spokesman told ucanews.com that the purpose of the live in program was to learn about how to maintain a spirit of tolerance.

North Sulawesi, which has a Protestant majority, is a good region where this can be demonstrated, he said.

"We hope they can learn how people of different religions can respect each other and create harmony," he said.

Father Saneba said Indonesia still faces problems in terms of religious tolerance.

Denying the establishment of houses of worship and violence in the name of religion still occur, while a recent survey by the Wahid Foundation, an organization that focuses on issues of religious freedom revealed about 11 percent of Muslims in Indonesia has the potential to carry out extremist acts.

Father Saneba said that Catholic Church feels concerned about it.

"The church has great faith youths can actively overcome intolerance," he said.

"They are expected to become pioneers of peace, not only among internal church, but in relation to other religions," he said.

Leri Lawrence Tering, a village head in Poopoh, Minahasa district, welcomed nine youths from Bandung diocese in West Java for the live in program. He said local residents were very pleased to play host to them.

His village, he said, which has 412 families, 67 of which are Catholic, has long maintained harmony.

"At Christmas, the church is guarded by Muslims while Christians help out at mosques during Eid," said Tering.

Veronika Dina Maryani, a-21-year old university student from Bandung said she was staying with a Muslim family in Poopoh.

"We can pray according to our religion, without feeling awkward," she said.

She said she has witnessed how Catholics, Protestants and Muslims in the village coexist with each other.

"Difference is not a barrier," she said.--Ucanindia.com