Catholics told to take action, not just pray<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Acknowledging that the Catholic church has not done enough to
\nfight the moral decay gripping the nation, the Bishops Council of
\nIndonesia (KWI) offered on Thursday a plan to help fight
\ncorruption, environmental degradation and violence.<\/p>\n
Summing up its 11-day plenary meeting here, bishops from
\nacross the country called on Catholics to become involved in the
\nmovement to rebuild the country into a better home for the
\nIndonesian people.<\/p>\n
\"The church has to make friends with victims of violence, the
\noppressed and those people who have been evicted from their
\nhomes. We cannot just pray for them, but must advocate for them
\nand struggle for justice for them,\" a statement from the KWI
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The bishops also called on Catholics to help people at the
\ngrassroots level become self-reliant, and to work with people of
\nother faiths to monitor the performance of the executive and
\nlegislative branches of government.<\/p>\n
In the education sector, the bishops urged Catholics to push
\nfor alternative educational programs designed to help educate the
\nnation.<\/p>\n
The religious leaders also suggested the church initiate an
\neconomic resilience movement, including introducing credit unions
\nfor the poor.<\/p>\n
Thirty-nine archbishops and bishops from across the country
\nattended the annual meeting. The attendees raised their concerns
\nabout a culture that endorses survival of the fittest, that has
\nraised money to the level of a new god and that believes the end
\nalways justifies the means.<\/p>\n
\"We talked about social justice for all Indonesian people and
\nwe hope the new administration will make this come true,\" KWI
\nchairman Julius Kardinal Darmaatmadja said during a press
\nconference.<\/p>\n
The bishops concluded that corruption, environmental
\ndestruction and violence remained the major challenges facing the
\nnation. They said the \"Catholic church is eager to help address
\nthese problems\" despite its minority status in the predominantly
\nMuslim country.<\/p>\n
Julius said the KWI had been concerned about the country's
\napparent moral decline since 1997. Over the ensuing years the
\ncountry has seen unchecked corruption, sectarian conflicts and
\nthe destruction of natural resources on a massive level.<\/p>\n
\"Corruption has become common among bureaucrats and worse,
\nmoral watchdogs have become involved. Transparency International
\nranked our country among the top five most corrupt countries in
\nthe world,\" Julius read the KWI statement.<\/p>\n
Julius joined other religious leaders last year in the nation-
\nwide campaign against corruption.<\/p>\n
\"Rampant deforestation causes Rp 83 billion in state losses
\nevery day, and violence has become widespread as the security
\nforces have been turned into political tools that threaten the
\npeople. This militaristic and repressive style has also been
\nadopted by civilians,\" Julius said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/catholics-told-to-take-action-not-just-pray-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}