Franciscan Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur of Bogor (third from right) with other religious leaders after signing a declaration stating their commitment to strengthening fraternity. (Photo courtesy of Beatae Mariae Virginis Cathedral Church’s social communications desk)
By Katharina R Lestari, Jakarta
Feb 8 2021
New special day on UN calendar marked for first time by Christians and Muslims
Interfaith leaders and youths in Bogor in Indonesia’s West Java province marked the first International Day of Human Fraternity by issuing a declaration stating their commitment to strengthening interreligious brotherhood.
The UN General Assembly declared Feb. 4 as International Day of Human Fraternity on Dec. 21, 2020, to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue.
It was in response to a proposal put to UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres by Pope Francis and the grand imam of Al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, in late 2019.
The proposal was linked to the historic signing of the Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together on Feb. 4, 2019, by the two religious leaders.
“We, religious leaders and young people in Bogor city believe that diversity is a noble gift from God. We will maintain this gift with the spirit of human fraternity and tolerance,” the Bogor declaration said.
“Diversity must not prevent people from building human fraternity. With this spirit, we will fight for humanity, protect the environment and strengthen the commitment of Indonesian nationality.”
Among the interfaith leaders who signed the declaration in the compound of Beatae Mariae Virginis Cathedral Church was Franciscan Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur of Bogor.
Speaking to UCA News on Feb. 5, the prelate said the leaders from all six of Indonesia’s recognized religions — Buddhism, Catholicism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam and Protestantism — wanted to stress the importance of building fraternity based on human dignity.
“Promoting such a spirit is the task of religious leaders. By issuing this declaration, we affirm that religions play a significant role in creating peace. Religions must become instruments in building human fraternity instead of creating disunity,” he said.
The local Catholic Church has built good relations with people from different religious backgrounds in Bogor and surrounding areas, he said.
He also pointed to the Interfaith Social Agency, a group formed several years ago by local interfaith leaders that has distributed aid to victims of natural disasters and to those in need.
The bishop promised that he will encourage young people and women to become leaders in strengthening brotherhood.
“Creating peace and building human fraternity should be done by all people. Young people and women have played a significant role in various church activities. I want to involve them more in the movement so that the local Catholic Church can become more inclusive and transformative,” he said.
Meanwhile, Rusli Saemun, a local Muslim leader who signed the declaration, applauded the local Catholic Church for initiating it.
“This is important to promote unity in Indonesia. I hope the human fraternity that we have built and are building can end religious conflicts in our country,” he told UCA News. – UCANews
