Pope Francis highlights the difference between being a communist and having charity

After meeting privately with members of the Society of Jesus at the Apostolic Nunciature, Pope Francis moved to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption in Jakarta to hold a meeting with Bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated women, seminarians and catechists of the country.

A “relaxed and familiar” meeting with Jesuit priests

According to Father Antonio Spadaro, undersecretary of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the meeting with the Jesuit priests It lasted an hour and was marked “by a spontaneous dialogue with questions and answers, personal confidences and some jokes.”

According to the Vatican authority, “Pope Francis is always very relaxed, he feels at home,” in these meetings with members of the Society of Jesus that he usually carries out on each apostolic trip.

He also highlighted that the Holy Father “realized how young the Jesuits present in formation in Indonesia are” and during the conversations they discussed topics such as religious dialogue and inculturation.

Faithful from Indonesia and other countries receive Pope Francis at the Jakarta cathedral

Many faithful from other countries, such as the Philippines, came to the area around the cathedral to welcome the Holy Father, who arrived by official car at 4:20 p.m. (local time). From his wheelchair, he greeted a group of children who welcomed him with songs.

At the entrance of the temple, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, Archbishop of Jakarta, Mons. Antonius Subianto Bunyamin, President of the Episcopal Conference, and the parish priest were waiting for them, who gave him the cross and blessed water for sprinkling.

After receiving a bouquet of flowers from two children, the Holy Father crossed the nave in a wheelchair and stopped at the altar. Inside the cathedral, the main place of Catholic worship in the Indonesian capital and seat of the Archbishop of Jakarta, religious from different cities in Indonesia gathered.

Among those attending were 100 nuns from the Sisters of Notre Dame Congregation, who came from different places throughout Indonesia.

Testimonies of Catholics in the largest Muslim country in the world

Before Pope Francis began his speech and after the welcoming words of Bishop Antonius Subianto, the president of the Indonesian Federation of Diocesan Priests, a Poor Clare nun of the Blessed Sacrament and a catechist shared their testimony.

Father Maxi Un Bria, President of the Indonesian Federation of Diocesan Priests, highlighted that the Catholic Church in the country “has always tried to promote the common good of the faithful and the nation.”

At the same time, he thanked the Holy Father for “the paternal attention that you and your predecessors have always shown, as a sign of Peter’s closeness to us, who are so far away.”

Sister Rina Rosalina, Poor Clare Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament, highlighted that, despite the immensity of Indonesia, “we consecrated men and women feel united in our work, supported by the Church and the Episcopal Conference of Indonesia.”

He also noted that, although they always try to learn from Pope Francis, “unfortunately, due to distance and language barriers, it is sometimes difficult for us to study the documents emanating from Rome.” For this reason, he conveyed his desire that the Pontiff’s teachings could be translated into his native language.

For Agnes Natalia, teacher at St. Ursula Primary School in Jakarta and catechist at St. Mary Queen Virgin Parish, “it truly represents St. Francis of Assisi, whom he took as his patron and who inspired his name as Pope.”

Finally, Nikolas Wijaya, teacher of Catholic religion at the Regina Pacis Senior High School in Bogor and member of the Catechetical Commission of the diocese of Bogor, thanked Pope Francis for always using always the term “bridge” as an analogy of the presence of the Church in society.

“Catechists are the strength of the Church”

After listening to the testimony of Agnes, the catechist, Pope Francis assured that “the Church is carried forward by catechists, they are those who advance.”

“Then, there are the sisters, after the catechist. Then the priests and bishops. But the catechists are the strength of the Church,” he stated.

Likewise, as on past occasions, Pope Francis assured that “faith is transmitted at home, in dialect and catechists and mothers and grandmothers carry this faith forward.”

Faith, brotherhood and compassion

At the beginning of his speech, the Holy Father assured that all of us present “are brothers” and affirmed that no one is more important than another, but that everyone has their own mission within the Church.

Later, he thanked those who had shared their testimony and recalled the motto chosen for his apostolic visit: “Faith, fraternity, compassion”, 3 virtues that represent the character of the country, diversified but at the same time “characterized by an innate tendency towards unity and peaceful coexistence.”

Next, he highlighted the abundant natural resources that Indonesia has, and recalled that it is the Lord “who gives us all this.” “There is not an centimeter of the wonderful Indonesian territory, not a moment of the life of each of its millions of inhabitants that is not his gift, a sign of his free and provident love as a Father.”

Regarding fraternity, Pope Francis noted that “it is not There are no two drops of water alike, nor are there two brothers, not even twins, completely identical. Living fraternity, then, means welcoming each other, recognizing equals in diversity.”

In this sense, he invited people to avoid proselytism and explained that “announcing the Gospel does not mean imposing or contrasting one’s own faith with that of others, but rather giving and sharing the joy of the encounter with Christ, always with great respect and fraternal affection for each person.” person”.

For this reason, Pope Francis invited those present to remain “open and friends with everyone, holding hands” and highlighted the importance of the Gospel reaching everyone.

He also recalled the words of catechist Nicholas, who described the catechist’s mission with the image of a “bridge” that unites and warned that the devil is the one who creates division in the world.

“Having compassion does not mean being a communist”

When referring to compassion, Pope Francis warned that “it does not consist in giving alms to brothers and sisters in need, looking down on them,” but rather in “becoming close to one another, stripping ourselves of everything that can prevent us from bending down to truly enter into contact with those who are fallen, and thus lift them up and restore hope.”

“And not only that, it also means embracing their dreams and their desires for redemption and justice, taking care of them, being their promoters and collaborators, also involving others, extending the ‘network’ and the borders in a great communicative dynamism of charity,” he stated.

Pope Francis asserted that this “does not mean being a communist, it means charity, it means love.” Furthermore, he recalled that “the devil enters through pockets” and also asked to “welcome everyone, everyone, everyone.”

He also stressed that the important thing is to “touch poverty” and warned that “what keeps the world moving forward is not the calculations of one’s own interests—which generally end up destroying creation and dividing communities—but the charity lavished . Compassion does not obscure the authentic vision of life, on the contrary, it makes us see things better, in the light of love.”

Remembrance of the message of Saint John Paul II

Later, Pope Francis highlighted that the Virgin Mary is a symbol of these 3 virtues and concluded his reflection by returning to what Saint John Paul II said to the priests and religious of the country during his visit in 1989: “Let the countless islands rejoice.”

On that occasion, the holy Pope invited people to witness “the joy of the Resurrection and giving (…) life, so that even the most distant islands can rejoice listening to the Gospel, of which you are preachers, teachers and witnesses.”

“I also renew this exhortation, and encourage you to continue your mission strengthened in faith, open to all in brotherhood and close to each one in compassion. “I bless you and thank you for so much good that you do every day,” Pope Francis concluded.

Meeting with young people from Scholas Ocurrentes

At the end of this event, Pope Francis held a meeting at the “Grha Permuda” Youth House with young people from Scholas Ocurrentes, the international Catholic organization of Pontifical Law approved and erected by Pope Francis in 2013.

The Pontiff was received in the courtyard, in front of the Youth House, by those responsible for the foundation and 100 children from the archdiocese of Jakarta.

Two children offered him a gift and sang him a song. Next, Pope Francis arrived at the Hall of Saint Matthias and Saint Thaddeus, where he met with the young participants in the “Scholas Aldeas” project and also met privately with the Board of Directors.

The Holy Father listened carefully to the testimonies of several young people and improvised some words for the little ones, whom he encouraged to work and pray for peace.

Likewise, he gave the young people an image of the Virgin Mary with the Child, made with modern artisan techniques, which is inspired by the famous icon of “Eleousa”, better known as Our Lady of Mercy.