Bishop of Bandung: Pope in Sweden, not to "celebrate" the Reformation but to implement the ecumenical spirit
Msgr. Bunjamin Antonius Subianto, Secretary General of the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI), on the Pope’s trip to Sweden: "We all have a duty to show the merciful 'face' God."
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The presence of Francis in Lund and Malmö "should not be considered as support for the 'celebration' of the Reformation, but as putting the ecumenical spirit into practice”, reflects Msgr. Antonius Bunjamin Subianto, Secretary General of the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI), a few days after Pope Francis visit to Sweden, for the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation.
The bishop of Bandung (West Java), "the actions of the Pope in Sweden are not only just presence, but were made with the real intention to unite all the disciples of Christ." In fact, "Catholics and Protestants have a duty to show the merciful 'face' of God, creating paths for which the world may know that God became flesh to save everyone."
Msgr. Subianto confirms what a few days ago Henriette Hutabarat-Lebang, president of the Indonesian Synod of Protestant Churches (PGI), told AsiaNews: "In Indonesia the KWI and PGI share much of their work, have had good relationships and joint working team for decades. The Kwi always invites Protestant representatives to its annual meeting, inviting them to take action. "
At the basic level of each diocese, the bishop continued, "Catholics and Protestants often work in different fields and according to the needs of each community. Catholic priests and Protestant pastors are on good terms, despite some incidents committed by bad people on both sides, which are opposed to ecumenism ".
Msgr. Subianto’s hope "it is that all who believe in Christ - the Christian communities, both Catholic and Protestant - put their faith into practice in real actions of mercy and humility." In this way "both sides will become agents of development for Indonesia and make country and civil society more prosperous and ensure that human rights are respected."
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01/11/2016 13:03
