Faith, fraternity, compassion by Pope Francis

Today, as I write this, Pope Francis has completed the first leg of his papal visit to Southeast Asia. The visit has been termed the apostolic journey of His Holiness to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore. This 12-day journey is considered unique because the four countries he will visit are non-Catholic, except for Timor-Leste.

As usual, those who follow this apostolic journey will be waiting for the words Pope Francis will use in the different groups he is scheduled to meet.

In his first talk in the meeting with the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps in Jakarta, Indonesia, he said: “A harmony in diversity is achieved when particular perspectives take into account the needs common to all and when each ethnic group and religious denomination acts in a spirit of fraternity, pursuing the noble goal of serving the good of all.”

Indonesia is a country of more than 270 million people and is the largest Muslim country in the world. Its population is only three percent Catholic.

Pope Francis expressed the basic purpose of his journey: “In order to foster a peaceful and fruitful harmony that ensures peace and unites efforts to remove imbalances and suffering that still persist in some areas, the Church desires to increase inter-religious dialogue. In this way, prejudices can be eliminated and a climate of mutual respect and trust can grow. This is indispensable for meeting common challenges, including that of countering extremism and intolerance which, through the distortion of religion, attempt to impose their views by using deception and violence. Closeness, on the other hand, listening to the opinion of others, creates a fraternal nation. This is something very, very beautiful.”

In his initial message, the pope assures the world that the Catholic Church wants to strengthen cooperation with all the different sectors of civil society and reassures that the Church never proselytizes and respects the faith of every person.

The pope is obviously addressing the conflicts between the Christian population of the world and its Muslim counterparts, which are the two biggest religious populations on earth. Unfortunately, there have been conflicts and sometimes violence between them.

While this is a laudable objective, there has been a long history of conflict and even warfare between them, conflicts that date back over a thousand years. There have been periods in human history after the founding of these two religions when even countries were involved in constant warfare against each other. I am referring, for instance, to the Crusades between Christian Europe and Arabic nations in their struggle to conquer Jerusalem.

Even in Philippine history, the periods of Spanish and American colonial eras were marked by constant conflict between the Christian and Islamic populations in Mindanao. The independence of the Philippines did not resolve the issues between them. At present, the passage of the Bangsamoro Law has brought relative peace and we pray that this will put a final end to the Christian-Muslim conflict in our country.

The pope also said that this unity in multiplicity, social justice and divine blessings are the fundamental principles or support structure that can inspire and guide a new social order.

This, he says, is the motto of his visit to Indonesia: “Faith, fraternity, compassion.”

He quotes St. John Paul II during his 1989 visit to Indonesia: “In acknowledging the presence of legitimate diversity, in respecting the political rights of all citizens and encouraging the growth of national unity based on tolerance and respect for others, you lay the foundations for that just and peaceful society which all Indonesians wish for themselves and long to bequeath to their children.”

Pope Francis mentioned that although the principles of faith, fraternity and compassion are not always implemented, they remain valid. According to the pope, peace is the work of justice and harmony is achieved when everybody works for the good of all and not just their own interests and vision.

In today’s conflict-ridden world, total peace may seem like an impossible dream. However, Pope Francis has developed a reputation for always tackling all the major contentious issues in the world, however impossible they seem.

This harmony among people of different faiths is the main message of the pope in his different dialogues and speeches.

However, I want to highlight a portion of his speech when he talked of compassion. He says that when he hears confession, he always asks if the penitent gives alms. According to him, they generally say yes, because the poor are also good people. A second question the pope asks is: “When you give alms, do you touch the hand of the beggar? Do you look into his eyes or do you throw the coin at him from a distance so as not to touch him?”

The pope exclaimed that compassion means “to suffer, to walk with those who are suffering… Moreover, it means embracing their dreams and desire for freedom and justice…”

He said that people are afraid of compassion because they consider it a weakness and suffering with the other is also a weakness. He says there are even people who champion fear of compassion and serving their own interests, as if it was a virtue.

On occasions of importance when the pope gives a serious message, I always try to read it because I always learn something new and valuable that enhances and enriches my spiritual life.