Bishop Belo's Nobel prize

Bishop Belo's Nobel prize

From Suara Karya

I am impressed by the wide coverage in the media on the gold
medal of the 1996 Nobel Peace Prize and a diploma conferred to
Dili Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo of East Timor.

As a religious people, we feel proud, although Belo's
departure to Oslo at the invitation of Norway's Nobel Committee
was in his personal capacity, not as a representative of the
state. This shows that Belo adheres to the values of Indonesia's
culture.

As a religious and moral leader and non-politician, Belo
appeared his usual self, despite the fact that the Nobel Peace
Prize was awarded to an Indonesian citizen for the first time.
Seen from the spiritual and human rights aspects, his opinion
deserves consideration. For example, it is very important to free
East Timor's political detainees, in line with the second
principle of Pancasila, "a just and civilized humanity". That
step could aid in opening the way for peace.

Bishop Belo apparently is also valued as a spiritual leader
who clearly sees, feels and fights for the sufferings of his
congregation through his profession and his work. Supposing the
majority of his congregation want him to be East Timor's
governor? Perhaps his performance will have many shadings of
peace and touches of a spiritual expert, without ignoring the
material objectives of development. From the constitutional
aspect, that is possible.

SUNGKOWO SUKAWERA

Bandung, West Java