Jakarta (AsiaNews) – In his New Year message of peace, the Pope brings "great hope" to Indonesia and the entire international community, especially when he calls for "respect" and "mutual understanding". So says Fr. Aloys Budipurnomo Pr, head of the interreligious commission of the Archdiocese of Semarang (Central Java), who emphasizes the relationship between the words of Benedict XVI and the principles promoted by the Pancasila, the five founding pillars of the Republic of Indonesia - among others - freedom religious. But Indonesia is not only Pancasila, adds the priest in comments to AsiaNews, because the within the community the principle of "unity in diversity" (Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, in local language) is also valid.
Fr. Aloys explains that: " Pope Benedict’s message " has "sowed optimism" in the whole Indonesian people because it deals with some principles contained in the Pancasila and which have been "the basis of our philosophy of life" since 1945. He also states that the core values remain valid despite the violence of a religious background and clarifies that "Christians, Catholics, Buddhists, Hindus, Confucians or Muslims are morally obliged" to follow them in everyday life, along with the motto "unity in diversity ".
Fr. Benny Susetyo Pr, a member of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference’s Inter-religious Commission (KWI) agrees, branding as "immoral" all violence carried out "in the name of religion." The priest of the Diocese of Malang, East Java province, says that "inter-religious violence leads to social instability" and "incites hatred"; the pope's message counters this, says the religious, because "it once again gifts us light", he recalls “the importance of mutual respect," including on an "interfaith level". In the "Indonesian sphere," says Father Benny, the message of the Pope promotes "peace and tolerance."