Churches concerned about selfishness

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Communion of Churches and the Indonesian Bishops Conference expressed concern yesterday over the selfishness they say increasingly plagues the public.

In their joint-Christmas messages, they said they reject any intentions that may fuel conflicts and confine people to the realm of their ethnicity, religion or socio-political grouping.

"We are concerned about the increasing exclusivism where people only serve the interests of their group," they said in the statement signed by the bishops conference chief Julius Cardinal Darmaatmadja and head of the Communion of Churches, Sularso Sopater.

"We concerned about the growing violent, suspicious and abusive cultures which belittle human dignity," the two groups said through the statement.

The two religious bodies called upon Christians to continue promoting the spirit of togetherness with among all people by disregarding their backgrounds.

Discrimination, they warned, could lead to conflicts and break-up of the nation.

"Jesus Christ teaches us to respect all people regardless their backgrounds," they said.

The two religious bodies asked their followers to support any efforts to promote national unity, brotherhood and harmony among different communities.

"By doing so, we play a positive role in the creation of a peaceful, just and wealthy Indonesia," the statement said. "As a part of a nation and a big society, we bear a burden of fulfilling the ideals of (the state ideology) Pancasila."

The statement concluded with a call for introspection and self-evaluation to anticipate the direction of where the world is leading. (amd)