Bogor Bishop urges Catholics to go to the polls rather than travel (video)
The vote on 17 April is close to the only long weekend of 2019, which starts on Good Friday. The election is "a critical day" for the future of the young democracy. For Archbishop Syukur, "Among these obligations is your love and concern for the nation and its people.”
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – The Bishop of Bogor is urging Catholics to avoid travelling or making commitments that could prevent them from taking part in the upcoming general election.
Political and religious leaders as well as civil society groups have expressed concerns that large numbers of Indonesians may not go to the polls.
Among the possible reasons for this, there is the proximity of the vote to the only long weekend of 2019, which starts on Good Friday (19 April), a national holiday.
Many observers call the election a "critical day" for the future of the young democracy, which is threatened by Islamism.
Many Indonesian Catholics fear that thousands of people may end up not voting because of travel abroad for pleasure or pilgrimages to the Holy Land or Rome. During the Easter period, many members of the community like to travel to Israel and Italy for religious reasons.
For this reason, well-off Catholics have been criticised in recent days by some for "preferring the exercise of faith to taking part in a historic moment for the country".
To prevent believers from failing in their electoral duty, Mgr Paskalis Bruno Syukur, Bishop of Bogor (West Java province) has released a video in which he issues a number of "interesting reminders" (see video).
"April 17,” he says, “is an important day for all of Indonesia. This is why, I strongly believe that all Catholics in Bogor diocese must express their preferences. Consequently, it would be preferable to cancel or suspend all non-important trips, at least until the faithful have exercised their duty as good citizens. This means making your political contribution to the future of the nation."
"As followers of Christ, we are obliged to exercise the spirit of love and charity. Among these obligations is your love and concern for the nation and its people. This can be put into practice in a simple way: with the vote," Mgr Syukur adds. "We must exercise our civil rights in a correct and intelligent way, based on our moral conscience and rationality".
In recent weeks, the leaders of the Indonesian Church have repeatedly urged Catholics to get involved, avoiding not voting or spoiling their ballot (golongan putih or golput).
"In such a case, golput is not the solution,” says the prelate. “The office of the apostolate for the laity in each parish of the Diocese of Bogor will provide assistance on how to vote. Use your right to vote to pick the nation's best potential leaders, people who can work for the good of all.
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18/11/2022 15:57
