‘We ask the Pope from Indonesia to bring a message of peace to world’

By Linda Bordoni – Jakarta

“We ask Pope Francis, from the heart of Indonesia, to share a message of peace with the world.”

In an interview with Vatican media in Jakarta on the sidelines of the Pope’s meeting in Jakarta on Wednesday, Maria Paz Jurado, director of international projects at Scholas, shared this.

The Holy Father is in the middle of the Indonesian stage of his apostolic journey to Asia and Oceania.

Yesterday he met with authorities, clergy and fellow Jesuits, but he wanted to dedicate his last event of the day to the Vatican Foundation.

The Scholas representative explained how important the Pope’s visit was for their community.

Vatican Foundation School Occurrencesa global educational project founded by the Pope, aims to involve young people in education, art and sport.

On Wednesday, some 200 young people from the Indonesian branch, from different islands, schools and religions, welcomed the Pope at the “Grha Pemuda” Youth House in Jakarta, where a sculpture of a polyhedron dominated the room where the meeting took place, and where the themes of diversity and unity were highlighted.

The impact of the Pope

“This country, Indonesia, has a very strong representation of many of the important ideas that Pope Francis is trying to bring to the world, especially the idea of ​​unity in diversity, or “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika,’ “It is a great honour for me to announce that you have been elected President of the Republic, as they say here in Indonesia. That is why I believe that his presence here, in the largest Muslim democracy in the world, is an immense and very important message of peace and encounter for the whole world.”

So, she continued, “we are absolutely delighted to have His Holiness here” and for him to be able to hear from the young people themselves what they think, feel, their concerns and dreams, for Indonesia and for the world.

Globalization at its best

Vatican News recalled that Pope Francis has repeatedly said that young people are our future and that they must be encouraged and helped, and also mentioned the great involvement of young people who prepared for the papal meeting with Scholas and for this particular initiative.

“The whole country is absolutely enthusiastic. With the arrival of Pope Francis, we have worked here with more than 2,500 young people, and not only young people, but also people who are in prison. We work with many social organizations and we have created this art installation, the polyhedron, which Pope Francis visits.”

“Pope Francis,” she reflected, “says that globalization should be a polyhedron in which each community preserves its own identity, but we create a whole.”

Call for a message of peace

She observed that the polyhedron they created is shaped like a heart.

“With this artwork,” she explained, “we are trying to represent the heart of Indonesia, which in itself embraces diversity as an integral part of the country and as a very important part of the Constitution as well.”

“And we ask Pope Francis, from the heart of Indonesia, to share a message of peace with the world.”

Deborah Castellano Lubov contributed to this article