VATICAN CITY (CNS): The Indonesian Government must act to end violent clashes between members of different religions and to guarantee the equality of all its citizens, Pope John Paul II said.
“The only firm foundation of national unity is respect for all,” the Pope said on June 12 as he welcomed Indonesia’s new ambassador to the Vatican.
“Recourse to violence in the name of religious belief is a travesty of the tenets of the major religions,” the Pope said.
Pope John Paul said he was particularly worried about the Muslim-Christian violence that began in November in the Maluku islands and caused thousands of Christians to flee their homes.
“Atrocities, massacres and destruction have taken place,” the Pope said, and continuing tensions in the region are a motive for concern.
“The international community looks to Indonesia to adopt the necessary measures to defuse tensions, to ensure that all citizens are treated as equals before the law and to bring an immediate end to violence,” he told the ambassador.
The new ambassador, Widodo Sutiyo, said his country was committed to interreligious harmony and had enjoyed peaceful relations between religious communities until recently.
“Actually, these disturbances were not purely instigated by a religious conflict, but rather they are fomented by political motives” as a reaction to economic changes in the country, Mr Sutiyo said.
Pope John Paul also told the ambassador he was pleased that Indonesia and the international community had finally made provisions paving the way for the independence of East Timor.
