Politicians have key role in promoting national unity, pope says

Politicians have an essential role in preserving the unity of a nation by working for the common good and promoting cooperation, especially when "the exasperation of contrasts" threatens to divide a country, Pope Francis told Indonesia leaders.

National unity "is a work of craftsmanship entrusted to everyone, but in a special way to those in political life, who should strive toward harmony, equity, respect for the fundamental rights of human beings, sustainable development, solidarity and the pursuit of peace, both within society and with other peoples and nations," the pope said Sept. 4.

Seeming well-rested after a 13-hour flight brought him to Jakarta the previous morning, Pope Francis inserted several impromptu comments into his prepared text, including a criticism of Indonesia's decades-long efforts to convince families to use contraceptives and have no more than two children.

Speaking of Indonesia's serious rich-poor divide, the pope said that "some people want to deal with this" by resorting to "a law of death, that is, limiting births, limiting the greatest wealth a nation has -- new births. Your country, on the other hand, has families with three, four, five children," which is seen in the low median age of the population. "Keep going like this. It's an example for all countries."

The pope elicited smiles and laughter when he told the group that in some countries, "families prefer to have a dog or a cat."

In February, The Jakarta Post said that while poverty in the country had decreased over the past year, the divide between the wealthiest and poorest Indonesians had widened; the Paris-based Global Inequality Report of 2022 said that Indonesia ranked sixth in wealth inequality worldwide. The four richest men in Indonesia have more wealth than the combined total resources of its poorest 100 million citizens.

With thousands of islands, hundreds of ethnic groups, dozens of languages and multiple religions, Indonesia faces a constant challenge to ensure respect for its people's diversity while also guaranteeing peace, Pope Francis said during the meeting with government and civic leaders at Istana Negara, a national palace in Jakarta.

Over the past 25 years, terrorist attacks attributed to groups related to al-Qaida and ISIS in Indonesia have killed hundreds of people, particularly foreigners and tourists in targeted hotels and restaurants. In response, the government has increased security and strengthened its ministry for religious affairs, and the country's largest Muslim organizations have promoted interreligious dialogue and respect for other faiths.

Pope Francis told Indonesian President Joko Widodo and the other leaders that the Catholic Church also is committed to promoting interreligious dialogue.

"In this way, prejudices can be eliminated, and a climate of mutual respect and trust can grow," the pope said. "This is indispensable for meeting common challenges, including that of countering extremism and intolerance, which through the distortion of religion attempt to impose their views by using deception and violence."

"The Catholic Church is at the service of the common good and wishes to strengthen cooperation with public institutions and other actors in civil society, but never engaging in proselytism, never," he said. "It respects the faith of every person."

Pope Francis arrived at the neighboring Merdeka Palace, the official presidential residence in Jakarta, in a white, hybrid Toyota. Children wearing traditional dress and waving Indonesian and Vatican flags lined the driveways of the compound, cheering as the pope passed.

After the official anthems of the Vatican and Indonesia were played, Pope Francis and President Widodo reviewed the troops and then held a private meeting on the veranda of the palace before going next door to address the leaders of Indonesian society.

Describing the country's diversity as a gift and tolerance as "a fertilizer" for unity, the president said the country, like the Vatican, works to support dialogue and peace, "especially in the midst of an increasingly turbulent world."

Widodo, who is a month from finishing his last term as head of the country with world's largest Muslim population, drew particular attention to the war "in Palestine, which has claimed more than 40,000 lives. Indonesia greatly appreciates the Vatican's attitude which continues to voice calls for peace in Palestine and supports a two-state solution. Because war will not benefit anyone, war will only bring suffering and misery to the common people."

Prabowo Subianto, president-elect of Indonesia, was seated in the front row at the meeting, and Pope Francis extended to him "my warmest good wishes for a fruitful period of service to Indonesia."

Subianto is a former general who has been accused of committing human rights abuses under President Suharto, the dictator who ruled Indonesia from 1967 to 1998.