Communities of Sant'Egidio from Indonesia, East Timor and the Philippines gather in Jakarta in a conference with Andrea Riccardi

On Sunday 23rd and Monday 24th February, in Jakarta, a conference was held for all the Communities of Sant'Egidio in South-East Asia - Indonesia, the Philippines and East Timor - gathered together for the first time on the occasion of Andrea Riccardi's visit.

A moment of joy and celebration, in the welcome given by the children, the songs and dances to greet him on his arrival, and also an occasion for listening, reflecting and discussing the theme ‘Prayer, Poor, Peace. A prophecy of mercy and hope', which provided an opportunity to look together the complex panorama of the vast archipelago of the three countries and reaffirm the vocation to live together among different people, languages and ethnic groups.

‘You were born as children of a world of islands, yet you are not destined to live as islands,’ said Andrea Riccardi, because you are children of a Community, a mother of a family in the world!'

A family made up of many young people: in Indonesia 40% of the population is under 25 years old, in the Philippines and East Timor there are even more young people. Young people in this world are taught to focus on themselves and on competition. Because everything is a competition: work, money, social life. The law is: focus on yourself!' and this has serious consequences: increased social isolation, youth suicides, the emergence of violent gangs, particularly widespread in Timor Leste.

In this context, the mission of the Communities is to ‘build bridges of friendship, to break the loneliness with words and gestures’ and to develop friendship with the poor, because ‘those who help the poor change the whole world’.