Pope Francis in Indonesia
Pursuing Interreligious Dialogue with Islam
Although it hasn’t received nearly as much attention as the synodal process, his attempts to reform the Roman Curia, or his warnings about global climate change, I think that in hindsight, Pope Francis’s efforts to promote interreligious dialogue between Catholicism and Islam will be remembered as one of the most important initiatives of his papacy. Francis just wrapped up a four-day visit to Indonesia (he has since moved on to Papua New Guinea and will then travel to Timor Leste and Singapore), the most populous Muslim nation in the world, where he participated in a significant Catholic-Muslim dialogue and signed the Joint Declaration of Istiqlal 2024, an interreligious statement decrying dehumanization and climate change.
In the continental document from Asia written in preparation for last year’s Synod on Synodality in Rome (see my commentary on the document, as well as the one from Oceania, here), the authors state that, given the religious pluralism of the continent, “interreligious dialogue remains an integral characteristic of the Church in Asia” (130). Asia is home to many of the world’s great religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Confucianism, among others. And Catholics in Asia face a variety of situations: in the Philippines, for example, they make up a vibrant majority of the population, while in India and Pakistan, Catholics are a tiny minority. The synodal document also noted, somewhat critically, that Catholics in Asia have a tendency to be “inward-looking” and need to be emboldened to engage more actively with the society around them (80).
Indonesia’s population is 87 percent Muslim, whereas the country’s 8.6 million Catholics make up only 3 percent of the population. Despite the small size of their community, however, Catholics in Indonesia show remarkable signs of vitality—for example, the Associated Press recently highlighted St. Peter Major Seminary on the predominantly Catholic island of Flores, the largest Catholic seminary in the world in terms of enrollment. The number of Catholic seminarians in Indonesia is growing even as it has been leveling off in other parts of Asia, although the Catholic population in the country is nevertheless growing faster than the number of priests.
The Asian continental document also highlighted the precarious condition of Catholics in some parts of Asia: “The Churches in Asia are always having to walk this tightrope of balancing between being faithful to the Gospel and yet not putting the Christians in a position of being threatened” (110). This is certainly true in Indonesia where, as Kevin Clarke explains in a detailed analysis of interreligious relations in the country, despite official efforts by the national government to promote religious harmony, Catholics face accusations of “blasphemy” and obstacles from state and local governments when trying to construct churches, among other challenges. There have also been a handful of terrorist attacks against Christians in the country; indeed, even as the pope was still visiting the country, Indonesia arrested seven individuals for allegedly plotting an attack against Francis, although the evidence publicly available so far suggests that the suspects had threatened an attack online without (yet?) putting a plot into motion.
As Clarke points out, the Indonesian state is committed to the governing philosophy of Pancasila (“five principles”), which includes religious toleration along with a shared commitment to social justice and unity. Clarke adds, though, that the laws and social norms of the country reflect the majority status of Islam, and in particular Sunni Islam. In one of his first visits upon arriving in Indonesia, Pope Francis met with President Joko Widodo, several other government officials, and the country’s diplomatic corps at the presidential palace. In his address to these political authorities, Francis praised the country’s commitment to religious diversity and fraternity, while also warning of the danger of religious violence when a government seeks to enforce religious or cultural uniformity.
Although Francis’s address to the political leaders of Indonesia emphasized the important role of the government in promoting religious tolerance and unity, the heart of his visit was encouraging a deeper interreligious encounter between Muslims and Catholics. On the second day of the visit, Francis traveled to the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, the largest mosque in southeast Asia, where he met with Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar. The two paused at the entrance of the so-called “Tunnel of Friendship,” a tunnel linking the mosque and the nearby St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral as a sign of interreligious cooperation. I haven’t seen this mentioned in the coverage of Francis’s visit, but the tunnel also serves to relieve parking congestion—the tunnel connects to the mosque’s 500-car parking garage, allowing Sunday churchgoers to park there and easily walk to the cathedral! Interreligious cooperation and dialogue often begin in the most mundane of ways.
Later that day, Pope Francis and the grand imam both signed the Joint Declaration of Istiqlal 2024, and representatives of the other four religions recognized in Indonesia—Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, and Protestant Christianity—likewise endorsed it. The Joint Declaration appeals to the philosophy of Pancasila as contributing to religious harmony in the country, but the focus of the document is on what it identifies as two serious crises facing the world: dehumanization and climate change.
Although the declaration does not define “dehumanization,” it’s clear that it is referring to violations of human dignity and indifference to human suffering. It notes that violence and conflict are especially egregious sources of dehumanization, and it decries the role religion often plays as a source of violence. That being said, the declaration is clear that religious violence involves the “instrumentalization” and even “abuse” of religion. It states, “The values shared by our religious traditions should be effectively promoted in order to defeat the culture of violence and indifference afflicting our world.”
I think the Joint Declaration can be fruitfully read in light of the Vatican’s recent document on human dignity, Dignitas Infinita, which I wrote about here. That document seeks to show how Christian revelation lends support to the notion of human dignity, while also insisting that human dignity can be recognized by our reason alone, and that the recognition of human dignity can serve as the basis for fraternity across religions and cultures.
The Joint Declaration, in turn, states: “[O]ur religious beliefs and rituals have a particular capacity to speak to the human heart and thus foster a deeper respect for human dignity.” Here the representatives of the different religions present at the event assert that, just as their religious traditions, when authentically lived out, can be sources of peace, they can likewise inspire the promotion of human dignity. Interestingly, especially considering the tension in Dignitas Infinita between reason and revelation as sources of our knowledge of human dignity, the Joint Declaration emphasizes the way religion speaks to the heart, leaving open the possibility of reason as a potential source for recognizing dignity.
The declaration has less to say about the climate, but significantly it calls on members of all religions to be “true servants of God and custodians of creation” in order to promote “a healthy, peaceful and harmonious living environment.” Although different religions will approach the question of humankind’s responsibility for the environment in different ways, the declaration suggests that we can develop a common posture vis-a-vis the natural world and our relationship with the divine.
The Joint Declaration of Istiqlal 2024, like the longer Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Grand Imam of al-Azhar Ahmad Al-Tayyeb in the United Arab Emirates in 2019, which focused on human fraternity, is an achievement of practical interreligious cooperation rather than an exploration of religious doctrines. Indeed, as Pope Francis noted in his address at the signing of the Joint Declaration:
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. Such an approach, however, 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.
He adds, however, that this shouldn’t mean that we abandon the search for truth or avoid discussions of religious doctrine. Rather, he goes on, “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.”
Just as the Joint Declaration suggests that the different religions appeal to the human heart in fostering a sense of dignity, Francis also points to the heart, identifying a common spiritual experience at the root of all religious traditions:
[T]he visible aspects of religions—the rites, practices and so on—are a heritage that must be protected and respected. 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. Here, let us remember that by looking deeply, grasping what flows in the depths of our lives, the desire for fullness that dwells in the depths of our hearts, we discover that we are all brothers and sisters, all pilgrims, all on our way to God, beyond what differentiates us.
These comments will likely rankle Catholic traditionalists, but they closely parallel a passage near the beginning of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
The desire for God is written in the human heart, because man is created by God and for God; and God never ceases to draw man to himself. Only in God will he find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for . . . In many ways, throughout history down to the present day, men have given expression to their quest for God in their religious beliefs and behavior: in their prayers, sacrifices, rituals, meditations, and so forth. These forms of religious expression, despite the ambiguities they often bring with them, are so universal that one may well call man a religious being. (##27-28)
Interreligious dialogue is an opportunity to recognize this desire for God in the faith of others and, through seeking the truth together, to come to know the God who calls us each personally and as part of a single human family.
Of Interest…
Writing at Crux, John Allen has an excellent remembrance of the Australian theologian Gerald O’Collins, S.J., who taught at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome for many years and who died in August at the age of 93. O’Collins was undoubtedly one of the most significant Catholic contributors to the field of Christology after Vatican II, articulating a robust Chalcedonian Christology that could respond to contemporary challenges like the historical-critical approach to the Bible, the modern scientific worldview, and religious pluralism. As Allen points out, O’Collins demonstrated intellectual charity in both his work and his personal life, unhesitatingly putting forward his own views while also seeking to fairly represent and consider the views of those he disagreed with; one might say he valued the ongoing theological conversation in its own right, without losing sight of the fact that the goal of the conversation is ultimately to know the truth about God. In a way, he was a “theologian’s theologian,” a category in which I would also place his Jesuit confrere Avery Dulles, for example. O’Collins’s defense of Jacques Dupuis, S.J., who was investigated by the Vatican for his theological views on religious pluralism, is an illustrative example of this intellectual charity, and Allen provides a good account of that episode.
One of the topics Catholics around the world were asked to consider in the lengthy synodal process that led up to last year’s synodal gathering in Rome was how the Church could be more welcoming and inclusive of those who may be at the margins of the Church’s life. Laura Loker writing at The Pillar has an inspiring story of one parish in Northern Virginia that is experimenting with an innovative way of being more welcoming to neurodiverse Catholics, particularly those with autism. Nativity Catholic Church in Burke has begun a “sensory Mass” that includes dimmed lights, lower volume music and microphones, and separated spaces where participants can view the Mass on a screen or have a moment of quiet. The parish also provides interactive binders that can be used during Mass and “fidgets,” or objects that can be used to help with focus or calm. The article goes into more detail on the planning that went into designing the Mass, the challenges faced by autistic people in attending Mass, and some of the limitations of “sensory Masses.” Nativity is one of a small but growing number of parishes around the United States offering these Masses. I happened to serve with the pastor of Nativity, Fr. Bob Cilinski, on the Diocese of Arlington’s Peace and Justice Commission, so I applaud my old friend’s pastoral initiative.
Coming Soon…
With the re-publication of my interview with Karen Guth on the ethics of tainted legacies, I wrapped up the first season of the Window Light podcast. Very soon I’m going to start planning a new series of interviews for Season 2! I’ll post the new episodes as they become available once I start interviewing some amazing guests to talk about theology, pastoral ministry, and the life of the Church, so stay tuned!