JAKARTA (RVA News): Two years after Pope Francis and Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar signed the Istiqlal Declaration in Jakarta, Indonesia, interfaith leaders have called for its commitments to brotherhood, peace and care for creation to be translated into concrete action.
The call came during the “Coffee Afternoon of Friendship, Two Years of the c: Nurturing Brotherhood, Strengthening Peace” gathering at the office of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference [KWI] in Jakarta on September 28.
The Istiqlal Declaration was signed on 5 September 2024, by Pope Francis and Nasaruddin Umar, grand imam of Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta, during the pope’s visit to Indonesia. The declaration expressed shared concern about global challenges including dehumanisation and climate change and called for greater interreligious cooperation.
Bishop Christophorus Tri Harsono, chairperson of the Commission for Interreligious Affairs of KWI and Bishop of Purwokerto, Central Java, said the passage of two years has not removed the need to work for greater fraternity.
There are still people who are intolerant, and many things remain out of line. But this is precisely a process that must continue so that brotherhood and peace can become more meaningful
Bishop Christophorus Tri Harsono
“There are still people who are intolerant, and many things remain out of line,” he said. “But this is precisely a process that must continue so that brotherhood and peace can become more meaningful.”
He said the declaration should be understood not simply as a document but as an ongoing journey requiring encounters, trust and acceptance of differences.
“In the past, having coffee together among people of different religions might have been difficult. Now it has become something normal,” Bishop Christophorus said. “But our meetings should not be merely formalities.”
Father Aloys Budi Purnomo, secretary of the Commission for Interreligious Affairs of KWI and moderator of the gathering, invited participants to consider how the declaration could become a continuing movement rather than remain a ceremonial commitment.
Hening Purwati Parlan, deputy chairperson of the Environmental Council of the Muhammadiyah Central Executive Board and deputy chairperson of the Environmental and Disaster Management Institute of Aisyiyah, connected interfaith cooperation with the environmental crisis.
In the past, after it rained, we could hear the frogs, but now there are none
Hening Purwati Parlan
She described changes she has witnessed in Central Java, where a drainage ditch that once held water has become dry and a river where she bathed as a child now carries very little water.
“In the past, after it rained, we could hear the frogs, but now there are none,” she said.
“When the earth is wounded, we cannot simply apply medicine. We must look at the root causes of the wound,” she said.
Parlan proposed action at three levels: strengthening awareness and solidarity within communities, engaging policymakers through evidence-based advocacy, and encouraging religious leaders to speak clearly about the ethical responsibility to protect the earth.
Bhante Dhammasubho Mahathera linked dehumanisation with the need for a deeper understanding of humanity’s relationship with other people and the natural world. He highlighted the Buddhist greeting” Sabbe Satta Bhavantu Sukhitatta”, [May all beings be happy], as an expression of respect for all living beings.
“All beings in the air, in the water, on the land, in the mountains and in the trees; those with legs and those without legs, may all beings be happy,” he said.
The gathering concluded by returning to the central challenge of the Istiqlal Declaration: ensuring that interfaith friendship moves beyond formal encounters toward concrete action that strengthens human dignity, peace and care for the common home.
