Indonesian Catholics welcome Pope's words about vocations
On the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life, the pontiff cited Indonesia as an example to find new vocations. The Indonesian ambassador to the Holy See notes that the Pope’s remarks are a recognition and a challenge. For Indonesian priest, “it is our turn to carry out the mission”.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis yesterday led the Mass on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which also marked the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life.
In his homily, the pontiff said to look to Indonesia to stop the drift towards inertia and overcome fears about change that can paralyse life, including in the Church.
In Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim majority, the Pope’s words sparked enthusiasm among Catholics, providing Indonesians present with a pleasant surprise.
“Father, there are no vocations, now we will go to some island of Indonesia to see if we can find one,” said the pontiff in his homily during the Mass for the 26th World Day for Consecrated Life.
His remarks in St Peter’s Basilica found an echo of joy and pride among Christians in the Southeast Asian country. In reality, what Francis said was as a counterpoint to this type of reasoning in order to go beyond the crisis of vocations.
“We cannot pretend not to see these signs and go on as usual, doing the same old things, drifting back through inertia to the forms of the past, paralysed by fear of change,” Francis said.
Speaking to AsiaNews, the Indonesian ambassador to the Holy See Amrih Jinangkung was happy to hear the Pope’s surprising words, noting however that they appear in a version of the homily amended by the Vatican Press Office. The original text said “the ends of the earth” rather than Indonesia.
"This public recognition means a lot to us,” Ambassador Jinangkung explained, both because it a sign of recognition for his country as well as challenge to “fill the vacancies faced by most Western countries given the drop in religious vocations.”
For Fr Paulus "Polce" Halek Bere, a member of the Indonesian Clergy Association in Rome (IRRIKA[*]), the Pope's words reflect the way in which Catholics in Europe want to "revitalise the spirit" and find a solution to the fact that religious life “is increasingly less attractive to young people" in that continent and, more generally, in the West.
This is a starting point to reflect about the priests, nuns, religious who for decades left their own countries to plant the seed of faith in Indonesia. Now, in his view, “it is our turn to carry out the mission" in those countries.
Across Indonesia, seminaries welcome hundreds of young people who wish to nourish their vocation to the priesthood and the consecrated life, from North Sumatra and Yogyakarta to Central Java, Jakarta and Papua.
Only yesterday, Archbishop John Liku Ada of Makassar (South Sulawesi) ordained seven new priests in Tanah Toraja, a place where scores of vocations have flourished in recent years.
[*] Ikatan Rohaniwan-Rohaniwati Indonesia di Kota Abadi
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