KWI renews fight against 'moral decadence'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Catholic Church is urging a joint movement with other religious communities to develop a new culture needed to fight what it calls the prevailing moral deterioration.

Chairman of the Indonesian Conference of Bishops (KWI) Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja told a press conference on Tuesday that the Catholic community as an integral part of the nation and the state had to shoulder some of the burden because they had contributed to this moral decadence.

"The Catholic Church has been deeply concerned not only about problems and issues coming to the surface, but also about the root causes of moral deterioration," Darmaatmadja said.

Moral decadence was evident in rampant corruption, use of violence and environmental destruction, but the core problem was the nation's eroded mentality, he said.

"A joint movement among religious communities is much needed to create internal reform and to encourage people to behave well," he said.

Darmaatmadja, also the archbishop of Jakarta Diocese, said the role the Catholic community would play in building this new culture would be discussed at a Grand Synod scheduled for Nov. 16-20 in Caringin, Bogor, West Java.

Some 400 bishops, priests and laymen from 36 dioceses across the country will participate at the conference. The synod will follow up the 2004 pastoral note on public civilization towards a new national character.

Darmaatmadja said that in accordance with the pastoral note, the synod would devote more time for youth to speak and to formulate the role they would play in creating the new culture.

"The youth are closer to their own age. The synod will give a special place for them and the old generation will listen to them. We hope the younger generation can launch a major movement with other religious communities to found the new culture," he said.

KWI secretary-general Mgr. Ignatius Suharyo said through the synod, Catholic leaders would ask religious people of all faiths to seek a radical commitment to fighting moral deterioration.

"Responding to moral decadence, many have been apathetic and many others have become angry, which has made us vulnerable to acts of fundamentalism. The Catholic Church does not want either, therefore it is trying to help create the new human character and culture," he said.