The Catholic cathedral and the great Istiqlal mosque in Jakarta stand opposite each other. A short underground tunnel, called the ‘Tunnel of Tolerance’, connects them and was visited by Pope Francis last September. There is a large bas-relief in the tunnel, depicting a fraternal handshake to symbolise the bond of fraternity between the two faiths.
Indonesian society is based on unity in diversity, and the Muslim majority is open to dialogue. For many years representatives of Islam have participated in the International Prayer Meetings for Peace organised by Sant'Egidio, which has also established collaboration agreements with the large Islamic associations representing millions of faithful throughout the country. Pope Francis' visit strengthened this bond. On Tuesday evening, the great Imam of the mosque, who is also Minister of Religious Affairs, invited the faithful to the mosque to pray for the Pope's health.
On Wednesday 26th February an inter-religious meeting was held on the two sites of worship. A delegation of Sant'Egidio led by Andrea Riccardi met the Archbishop of Jakarta, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, in the cathedral. At the end of the conversation, a delegation of Muslim leaders came to the cathedral and walked with the representatives of Sant'Egidio through the tunnel to the mosque's esplanade, for a symbolic ceremony to conclude the meeting.
Andrea Riccardi also visited the canteen for the poor in Jakarta, inaugurated exactly 10 years ago. Since then, the canteen has been welcoming around 200 poor people every week: mainly families living in the slums. Many of the children don't go to school, but the School of Peace has been started for them and recently the Community of Jakarta launched a programme of scholarships to cover their school fees. A small chapel has recently been set up on the top floor of the small building for the prayer meetings of people living in this part of the city.
The local imam, Marsudi Syuhur, who leads the mosque right in front of the canteen, and has participated in the International Prayer Meetings for Peace for many years, joined in the celebrations for this 10th anniversary.
The Community has also opened a new house in Bandung, inaugurated by Andrea Riccardi on Tuesday 25th February. Bandung is a city where young people from all over Indonesia flock because it is a large university centre. The Community - founded only a few years ago - is made up mostly of young people studying away from home.
