JAKARTA (UCAN): Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Baha’i representatives in Indonesia issued a joint declaration to protect “the earth as our common home” ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to the country next month.
The declaration was issued after the religious representatives met at a Hindu temple in Jakarta on August 14. The inter-religious programme also marked the visit of Father Massimo Fusarelli, minister general of the Order of Friars Minor.
The joint declaration expressed their commitment to caring for the earth “by realising a frugal lifestyle and respecting the sanctity or sacredness of nature.”
They also pledged to “create a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment and ensure that the rights of indigenous peoples and future generations are fulfilled, local wisdom is maintained, and the Earth’s welfare is made possible.”
Dini Pramita, an activist from the Mining Advocacy Network, presented an overview of current environmental issues and the damage caused by the extractive industry, “making people poor and forced to live side by side with disasters” in Kalimantan, Maluku and other regions of Indonesia.
Ahmad Maulana, a social activist working for marginalised communities on the banks of the Ciliwung River in Jakarta, explained how playgrounds and green open spaces were shrinking in the city.
Maulana noted, “polluted rivers and worsening air quality have become commonplace.”
Father Yohanes Kristoforus Tara, from the advocacy division of the Franciscan Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Commission, said the religious leaders’ joint commitment would help “our advocacy efforts in mining, geothermal power, and other issues.”
Father Tara went on to say, “We also want to invite more people to understand that ecological problems are humanitarian problems, as has always been emphasised by the Church.”
