We offer the official Spanish version provided by the Vatican of Pope Francis’ speech addressed to the participants in the interreligious meeting that took place at the Istiqlal mosque in Jakarta (Indonesia), during his apostolic trip to Asia and Oceania.
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.
I am happy to be here with you all in the largest mosque in Asia. I greet the Grand Imam and thank him for his words to me, reminding us that this place of worship and prayer is also “a great house for humanity”, where everyone can enter to take a break with themselves, to give space to the yearning for the infinite that they carry in their hearts, to seek an encounter with the divine and to experience the joy of friendship with others.
I am pleased to recall that this mosque was designed by the architect Friedrich Silaban, who was a Christian and won the competition. This proves that in the history of this nation and the culture that is breathed here, the mosque, as well as other places of worship, are spaces of dialogue, of mutual respect, of harmonious coexistence between religions and different spiritual sensibilities. This is a great gift, which you are called to cultivate every day, so that the religious experience is a point of reference for a fraternal and peaceful society and never a cause of incomprehension and clash.
In this regard, it is worth mentioning the construction of an underground tunnel – the tunnel of friendship – which connects the Istiqlal Mosque with the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption. This is an eloquent sign, which allows these two great places of worship to be not only “facing each other” but also “connected” to each other. Indeed, this passage allows for an encounter, a dialogue, a real possibility of “discovering and transmitting the mysticism of living together, of mingling, of encountering one another […], of sharing in that somewhat chaotic tide which can become a true experience of fraternity, a caravan of solidarity, a holy pilgrimage” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium , 87). I encourage you to continue along this path: that all of us, all together, cultivating our own spirituality and practising our own religion, may we journey in search of God and contribute to building open societies, founded on mutual respect and mutual love, capable of isolating rigidities, fundamentalisms and extremisms, which are always dangerous and never justifiable.
In this perspective, symbolized by the underground tunnel, I would like to leave you with two slogans, to encourage you on the path of unity and harmony that you have already begun.
The first is to always look deeply , because only in this way can we find what unites us, beyond our differences. In fact, while on the surface there are the areas of the mosque and the cathedral, well delimited and frequented by their respective parishioners, underground, along the tunnel, these same different people meet and can access the religious world of others. This image reminds us of something important: that the visible aspects of religions – the rites, the practices, etc. – are a traditional heritage that must be protected and respected; but what is “below”, what runs underground, like the “tunnel of friendship”, we could say the common root of all religious sensibilities is one: the search for an encounter with the divine, the thirst for infinity that the Almighty has placed in our hearts, the search for a greater joy and a life stronger than death, which animates the journey of our lives and drives us to go out of ourselves to meet God. Let us remember this: looking deeply, perceiving what flows in the most intimate part of our life, the desire for plenitude that lives in the depths of our heart, we discover that we are all brothers, all pilgrims, all on the journey towards God, beyond what differentiates us.
The second invitation is to care for relationships . The tunnel was built from one end to the other to create a connection between two different and distant places. This is what the underground passage does: it connects, it creates a link. Sometimes we think that the encounter between religions is a matter of seeking, at all costs, common ground between different doctrines and religious confessions. In reality, such an approach can end up dividing us, because the doctrines and dogmas of each religious experience are different. What really brings us together is creating a connection between our differences, taking care to cultivate bonds of friendship, attention, reciprocity. These are relationships in which each one opens up to the other, in which we commit ourselves to seeking the truth together, learning from the religious tradition of the other; helping each other in human and spiritual needs. These are bonds that allow us to work together, to walk together in the achievement of some objective, in the defense of human dignity, in the fight against poverty, in the promotion of peace. Unity is born from personal bonds of friendship, from mutual respect, from the mutual defense of each other’s spaces and ideas. I hope you can always take care of that.
Dear brothers and sisters, “promoting religious harmony for the good of humanity” is the inspiration that we are invited to follow and which also gives title to the Joint Declaration prepared for this occasion. In it, we take responsibility for the great and sometimes dramatic crises that threaten the future of humanity, particularly wars and conflicts, unfortunately fuelled also by religious exploitation; but also the environmental crisis, which has become an obstacle to the growth and coexistence of peoples. And in this scenario, it is important that the values common to all religious traditions be promoted and strengthened, helping society to “eradicate the culture of violence and indifference” ( Joint Declaration of Istiqlal ) and to promote reconciliation and peace.
I thank you for this common journey that you are carrying out. Indonesia is a great country, a mosaic of cultures, ethnic groups and religious traditions; a rich diversity that is also reflected in the variety of the ecosystem and the surrounding environment. And if it is true that you possess the largest gold mine in the world, know that the most precious treasure is the will that differences should not be a cause of conflict, but that they should meet harmoniously in concord and mutual respect. Harmony is what you do. Do not lose this gift. Never lose this great wealth; rather, cultivate it and pass it on, especially to the young. May no one give in to the allure of fundamentalism and violence; may everyone instead be fascinated by the dream of a free, fraternal and peaceful society and humanity.
Thank you, thank you for your gentle smile, which always shines on your faces, and which is a sign of your beauty and inner openness. May God grant you this gift. With his help and blessing, go forward, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika , united in diversity. Thank you.
Greetings from the Holy Father at the Friendship Tunnel
Dear brothers and sisters,
I congratulate you all for this “Tunnel of Friendship”, which aims to be a place of dialogue and encounter.
If we think of a tunnel, we easily imagine a dark journey that can be frightening, especially if we are alone. Here, however, it is different, because everything is illuminated. However, the light that illuminates it is you, with your friendship, with the harmony that you cultivate, with the mutual support and with your journey together that leads you, at the end of the road, towards the full light.
We believers, who belong to different religious traditions, have a role to play: to help everyone to go through the tunnel with their eyes turned towards the light. Thus, at the end of the journey, in those who have walked alongside us, we can recognize a brother or sister with whom we can share life and support each other.
To the many signs of threat, to the dark times, we contrast the sign of brotherhood which, welcoming the other and respecting his identity, exhorts him to a common path, made among friends, and which leads towards the light.
I would like to thank all those who work in the belief that it is possible to live in harmony and peace, aware of the need for a more fraternal world. I would like our communities to be more and more open to interreligious dialogue and to be a symbol of the peaceful coexistence that characterizes Indonesia.
I raise my prayer to God, Creator of all, to bless all those who will cross this Tunnel in a spirit of friendship, harmony and brotherhood. Thank you!