Jakarta Congress: The mission in the post-truth era (photos)

by Mathias Hariyadi

The Bishops' Conference organised the National Missionary Congress, centred on ‘Baptised and sent to proclaim the Gospel’, drawing some 400 people from the country’s 37 dioceses. The topics discussed included communication and social divisions.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – An era where reality is often distorted, hidden or not mentioned is a challenge for the Indonesian Church, which is questioning herself on the meaning of "mission", the proclamation to the world of the truth contained in the Gospel, this according to Fr Johannes Haryatmoko, a Jesuit and Professor of Theology at the Universitas Sanata Dharma in Yogyakarta.

Fr Haryatmoko is one of the prominent figures who took part in the National Missionary Congress organised by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia (KWI) in Jakarta, which ended yesterday. The clergyman described the historical factors that led to Revolution 4.0, which has overturned people’s daily lives through digital technology.

In Indonesia, this has brought fake news and hoaxes, orchestrated by those who intend to achieve certain political objectives, manipulating public opinion through sectarian arguments (ethnicity, religion and civil loyalties).

So how can a Catholic become a "messenger of truth" in such a volatile age, where reality is often "narrated"? According to Fr Haryatmoko, an academic who graduated from the prestigious Sorbonne in Paris, the Indonesian Church must first change its way of communicating. She must use modern messaging and information technology (IT), as journalists and social media experts do. Thus, the messages the clergy wants to spread can reach the public more easily and comprehensibly.

Francisia Saveria Sika Seda, a professor at the University of Indonesia (UI), also addressed the conference. The sociologist is the daughter of the late Catholic politician Franciscus Xaverius Seda, who was Minister of Agriculture under Sukarno.

She pointed out that Indonesian society is marked by a "horizontal segregation", as evinced by the last elections for Governor of Jakarta (2017) and the presidential elections of last April. "The current situation is quite different from when Indonesians were divided by quality of life and economic wealth. Today, our country is segregated due to political preferences and religious practice."

For the Church, carrying out her "mission" also means knowing how to face such obstacles. In Seda’s opinion, "As Catholics we are called to defend our national values, sanctioned by the motto ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’ (unity in diversity) and by Pancasila”, the pluralist doctrine on which the nation is founded.

The 400 people who took part in the Congress came from the country’s 37 dioceses. They were also able to hear Ignasius Jonan, a prominent member in President Joko Widodo’s cabinet. Born into an ethnic Chinese Catholic family, he held the Transportation Minister during Widodo's first term and is now the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources.

In his address, Jonan stressed that "working for the good of humanity is one of the prerogatives that every good Catholic must put into action.”

“Without an exemplary life, the mission has no meaning,” he added. “The true mission must be carried out by producing facts, not stories. People need the former, which are the result of good habits and success stories."

(Photo credit: Vincentius Dimas)