Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, Singapore: Reflections about the Popes Apostolic Visit to Asia-Oceania

On the flight back from his 11 days apostolic trip (September 2^nd – 13^th) to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore, Pope Francis gave a press conference, in which he expressed his tremendous joy about the different meetings he had in the respective countries with representatives from civil society, the church as well as with different religious leaders. Above all he stressed his various encounters with the youth in the four countries which were marked by an atmosphere of joy, creative thinking and optimism. During the press conference the pope was asked by a journalist who works for a Singapore paper, whether there is space for cooperation between China and the Holy See, also in respect to Palestine. To which the pope replied that he is “fully satisfied with the dialogue with China.” He stated: “China for me is an ‘ilusión’, in the sense that I would wish to visit China, because it is a great country; I admire China, I respect China. It’s a country with a history of several thousand years culture, with a capacity for dialogue and mutual understanding, that surpasses the different governmental systems which it has had. I believe that China is a ‘promise’ and hope for the church one can cooperate certainly in respect to the conflicts. At the moment Cardinal Zuppi is active in this respect and maintains relations with China.”

This statement which is counter to many prejudices which one hears from leading US media and political representatives in the U.S.  as well as from their European counterparts, is characteristic for the mindset of this Jesuit pope, whose predecessor in the 16^th century, the famous Jesuit evangelizer Matteo Ricci (1552 Macerata [Italy]- 1610 Bejing) in cooperation with a group of Jesuits from Europe, laid the basis for an extremely fascinating scientific, religious and cultural dialogue between Europe and China. Jesuit father Matteo Ricci was one of the Pope’s idols, who came to China bringing with him a lot of scientific literature, maps and musical instruments. He stayed in China until the end of his life, being in contact with significant strata of the ruling elite, making translations of Chinese texts into Italian and vice versa. He was able to get many Chinese scholars interested in the principles of Christian faith, by using the method of “inculturation” and his spirit is still radiating up to this day. One should remember that 87 years old Pope Francis came from the “fringes” of the world,- from Argentina – in order to begin his Pontificate. He always was and is deeply committed to open a new chapter of dialogue with Asia, as Jesuit father Antonio Spadafora stated to the media, after a meeting which the Pope had with a group of Jesuits during his stay in Singapore.

Pope Francis’ apostolic trip to Indonesia and his different encounters with the youth, above all in Papua New Guinea, but also Indonesia, Timor-Leste and Singapore, were carried by the spirit of enthusiasm. At all these occasions the pope reflected about the basic principles which hold our societies together: the need for a stable “family” structure in society, the acceptance of new born babies in contrast to abortion, the need to help migrants, the poor, elderly, handicapped and sick people. He kept at different occasions expressing his confidence that on the basis of “fraternity”, a concept he had developed in the encyclical “Fratelli Tutti” (2020), peace can be created. This particularly refers to the actual bloody conflicts which one sees in the Mideast in Gaza, where China plays an important role as mediator for peace; but this includes also the Russian- Ukraine war, in which this pope kept repeating his line that the war should be ended, since war is always a “defeat for mankind.”

Apostolic trip to Indonesia: universality of religions

The first stop of the papal trip was Indonesia. In Jakarta he spoke on September 4^th about the motto of his visit to Indonesia “Bhinneka Tunggal ika- United in Diversity,” literally: “Many, but one”. In his address to the authorities of civil society and the diplomatic corps at the Istana Negara Presidential Palace Hall in Jakarta he spoke about Indonesia as “a vast archipelago of thousands of islands surrounded by the sea that connects Asia to Oceania. (….) Your national motto Bhinneka Tunggal ika (United in Diversity) captures well this multifaceted reality of diverse peoples firmly united in one nation, the pope stated.. (…) A harmony  in diversity is achieved when particular perspectives takes into account the needs common to all and when each ethnic group and religious denomination acts in a spirit of ‘fraternity’, pursuing the noble goal of serving the good of all.”

In the same speech he referred to the “preamble of your (Indonesian) 1945 Constitution, which offers valuable insights into the path chosen by a democratic and independent Indonesia (…) Twice within a few lines, the preamble refers to Almighty God and the need for his blessing to descend upon the nascent state of Indonesia. Similarly, the opening lines of your fundamental constitutional law refer to ‘social justice’ twice, as the desired foundation for international order and as one of the main objectives to be achieved for the benefit of the entire Indonesian people. (…) Unity in multiplicity, social justice and divine blessing are thus the fundamental principles intended to inspire and guide the social order. They can be likened to a support structure, the solid base on which to build the house. How can we fail to notice that these principles fit very well with the motto of my visit to Indonesia: “Faith, Fraternity, Compassion”.

He added that “unfortunately we see in today’s world certain tendencies that hinder the development of universal fraternity (Fratelli Tutti). In various regions we see the emergence of violent conflicts, which are often the interests, one’s own position, or one’s own partial historical narrative prevail at all costs, even when this leads to endless suffering for entire communities and results in wars and much bloodshed.” He underlined that too many societies have considerable part of humanity which is left to the margins without the means for a dignified existence and no defense against growing social imbalances. He also pointed to the law of death, limiting births, i.e. limiting the greatest richness that a nation can have, its births: “Your country meanwhile has families with three, four and five children.  This is seen in the average of the nation. Keep going like this.”

Faith, Fraternity, Compassion – a basis for interreligious dialogue

According to the catholic website “Zenit” it was emphasized that the pope was very happy to visit the various places in Asia, given that this was what “I would have liked to do as a young Jesuit, because I wanted to go there as a missionary!” He observed that in Europe there is always the tendency to be too “Eurocentric.”  Yet by listening to the testimonies of priests, religious sisters, laypeople and catechists, he said that he felt very encouraged. He emphasized that in Indonesia (276 Mio inhabitants) about 87 % Muslim, 7% of people are Protestants and 3% Catholics – a minority: However, he stressed that in Indonesia he “encountered a lively, dynamic Church, capable of living and transmitting the Gospel in a country, which has a very noble (!) culture, inclined to harmonize diversity and at the same time has the largest Muslim presence in the world.”

The Pope was impressed by the city of Jakarta which has the largest Mosque, the Istiqlal Mosque. On Sept 5^th Pope Francis had an interreligious meeting there which was crowned by a “Joint declaration of Istiqlal 2024: “Fostering religious harmony for the sake of humanity.”  In his address to the interreligious meeting the pope took the occasion to speak about the Mosque which underneath its huge building has a “tunnel of friendship which connects the Mosque and the Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption” and he stated that “In the fabric of Indonesia’s culture, the Mosque, there are spaces of dialogue, mutual respect and harmonious coexistence between religions and different spiritual sensibilities.”

A joint declaration was signed at the Mosque Istiqlal in the presence of the Pope, the Grand Imam Nasruddin and several religious leaders. The declaration solemnly declared: “The world is facing dehumanization, especially marked by widespread violence and conflict, frequently leading to an alarming number of victims. It is particularly worrying that religion is often instrumentalized in this regard, causing suffering to many, especially women, children and the elderly. The role of religion, however should include promoting and safeguarding the dignity of every human life.” A good Indonesian friend commented from Jakarta, that “the visit was a success, both for Indonesia and for the church here and also for the Vatican. It has significance for moderate Islam here. There have been critical voices, also from some Protestant groups. I think the Pope will feel encouraged in his approach to the universality of religions and humanity. For the government, it was a confirmation in many ways: as a country with the largest Muslim population, it pursues a secular policy; stability and no extremism…as success of efforts at de-radicalization, excellent security measures without suppressing or violently containing spontaneous enthusiasm of the population.“

Papua New Guinea- a people bearing the ancestral culture with pride

Particularly interesting was the pope’s meeting in Papua New Guinea (7. September, a country in Oceania in the Western Pacific, land border with Indonesia in the West, 12 million population estim.) where he also had an encounter with missionaries. He discussed with them about their missionary work, namely that the church in the most “remote and abandoned areas of the marginalized and wounded, both morally and physically (…) wants to be close to those.” And he reminded them that the three most beautiful attitudes are closeness, compassion and tenderness.

Exemplary for his trip to the most remote area in Papua New Guinee was his visit of the city Vanimo where he discussed with the missionaries the incredible work which they do as evangelizers, telling them that the faithful are a vital and vibrant part of the Church. After a very long flight he arrived in the city of Vanimo which is almost unreachable by road. According to the website “Vatican News” the pope stated full of praise that “The people are gorgeous,” emphasizing that “they bear their tribal ancestry and culture with pride.” He also had a beautiful meeting with young people Sept 9^th in Port Moresby, which took place in form of an intensive dialogue between Pope Francis and the Young. He thanked them for what they had told him about the country, where the ocean meets the sea where dreams are born and where these young people “wish to tackle the future with a smile of hope.” He chose as theme “building the future” by telling them the story of the” tower of Babel.”  According to Pope Francis in this story two models clash: two different forms of living and constructing society: one leads to confusion, the other to harmony and an encounter with God and the brothers and sisters. Confusion on one side and harmony on the other. Which model do you want to chose?, he asked them and the young people replied like in a chorus “Harmony.”

He at that occasion spoke about the meaning of love which in contrast to “egoism,” is based on the unrest of the heart that “drives you to take care of the other. You must have that unrest to make friendships. And one thing which is really important for young people is to be close to the grandparents,” to which all young people replied “Yes”.

Timor-Leste (Dili) “What do young people do?”

Another fascinating encounter with young people which the pope had in Dili (Timor-Leste 11.Sept) centered on the question “what do young people do?”  Some answered: “to love each other, but also cultivate peace in our country.” The pope told them: “You are a country full of young people. I will never forget your smile. You young are the majority of the population, your presence gives the country hope and future. Don’t lose the enthusiasm of faith. Forget the vices like drugs etc. … I invite you to have dreams, not nightmares… Young people must sometimes create chaos, in order to sow life. A young person is in the middle of his life. Between children and the adults, the biggest wealth of society is old people and grand- parents. They give you wisdom, they are a treasure.” And he told them the story of a family and a grandfather eating together. The grandfather dirties himself while eating, so the father puts a table for him in the kitchen so that he can eat for himself alone, so that they can invite guests. One day the father finds his five-year-old boy building wooden blocks and being asked by the father why he is doing this, the boy explains that he makes “a table for his father, when he is old.” The pope reminded them that they should be able to rule over themselves and whoever is incapable of that is like a “slave.” He emphasized that young persons should have responsibilities and that he must care for the unity of the family: “A last thing you must learn is fraternity. Be sisters and brothers, not enemies. You need to pave the way for reconciliation, make noise and respect the elderly.”

Singapore: growth and resilience

During his last stop in Singapore the pope, aside expressing his respect for Singapore that within a few decades had been able to build a vibrant and very modern society with “ultra – modern skyscrapers that seem to rise from the sea”, he underlined that Singapore’s story would be that of growth and resilience, by referring to the well-known statesman Lee Kuan Yew (1959-1990), who “gave a strong impetus to the country’s rapid growth and transformation.” But he also warned about the risk to focus entirely on pragmatism or placing merit above things… The sophisticated technologies of the digital age and rapid developments in the use of artificial intelligence must not lead us to forget about the essential need to cultivate real and concrete human relationship… Singapore is a mosaic of ethnicities, cultures and religions living together in harmony and this word is very important: harmony.”

In Singapore, which is a country with an extremely low birth rate as the pope noted during his flight back to Rome, Pope Francis particularly underlined the importance of the role of the family. “Aside the many challenges which families are facing,” he stressed that “families must be allowed to transmit the values that give meaning and shape to life and to teach young people how to form solid and healthy relationships.”