06/09/2022 Indonesia (International Christian Concern) – Indonesian Minister of Religions Yaqut Cholil Qoumas tries to promote Indonesia as a country of religious tolerance and inclusion. He recently reiterated his intention to invite Pope Francis to Indonesia to greet Catholics and witness to Indonesia’s religious diversity.
“Before the pandemic, the pope had planned to come to Indonesia but canceled because of the pandemic,” Yaqut said in a press release Wednesday.
On Tuesday, June 7, Yaqut flew to the Vatican for a conference where he met with Indonesian citizens living in the Vatican and Rome, including nuns, students, university students and workers.
The Indonesian Embassy to the Vatican organized the conference and Indonesian Ambassador to the Vatican Laurentius Amrih Jinangkung opened the event. Additionally, the head of the world’s largest Islamic organization, the Executive Council of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), Yahya Cholil Staquf, was also present at the event.
During the meeting, Yaqut explained that the Ministry of Religion declared 2022 as the Year of Tolerance in Indonesia, hoping to build religious tolerance among citizens.
“We want to make Indonesia a barometer of harmonious and harmonious religious life in diversity and whose peoples are tolerant and respect differences. We must respect each other among religious followers and respect each other for those of different faiths,” he said.
Earlier, Yaqut had also expressed his desire to invite Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayyeb to Indonesia, saying the sheikh and Pope Francis are key figures who continue to fight for world peace.
Together, the two signed the Document on Human Fraternity for Peace and Coexistence in Abu Dhabi in 2019.
The Minister of Religious Affairs said that one of the main points of the declaration was to invite humanity to live together in a spirit of brotherhood and to use religion as a source of inspiration.
“I would like to invite these two noble personalities to come to Indonesia to see that what was declared in Abu Dhabi has been applied in Indonesia for a long time, maybe even since Indonesia was not established”, he said.
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