18 Catholic, Interfaith Leaders Call for Indonesia to Maintain Pluralism

August 21, 2007

Author: Staff Writer

Source: UCA News

http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=25097

JAKARTA, Indonesia (UCAN) – Eighteen religious leaders representing Buddhism, Catholicism, Confucianism, Islam and Protestantism have issued a joint message calling for the nation to maintain pluralism.

They released the statement on Aug. 18 following their meeting held to mark the country's 62nd Independence Day, observed a day earlier. The interreligious Indonesian Committee on Religion and Peace (IComRP) organized the meeting.

During a press conference afterward, Theophilus Bela, secretary general of IComRP and a Catholic, read the statement, "A Joint Message: 62 Years of the Republic of Indonesia."

"We are convinced that the unitary state of the Republic of Indonesia will be strong and will progress if the nation guarantees and promotes pluralism as the basis for society," it said.