RI to ask for Vatican's assistance in E. Timor

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher, departing for the Vatican yesterday, said he would appeal for Catholic leaders' help in finding resolutions to the religious tension in East Timor.

"I hope my explanation about (the territory) will touch the Vatican leaders, and that they will help solve problems, especially regarding the Dili diocese," he told reporters.

However, the government will not intervene in "organizational matters" of the papal government which concerns its jurisdiction over East Timor' diocese, he said.

The East Timor diocese, under the leadership of Bishop Felipe Ximenes Belo, is not under the Indonesian Bishop Conference; instead, it is accountable directly to Rome.

Following the tension in the province, some parties have demanded that Belo join the Indonesian Bishop Conference as a way to reduce friction.

"We will just explain, and hope they'll listen and help for the sake of everybody," Tarmizi was quoted as saying by Antara.

The minister left yesterday for a four-day visit to the Vatican, accompanied by representatives of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas, the Indonesian Communion of Churches, the Indonesian Bishop Conference, officials and a number of legislators.

Tarmizi will pay a courtesy call to Pope John Paul II.

He said yesterday that he will explain how the Indonesian community has done its part in solving the racial and religious tension in the predominantly Catholic province.

An example of the efforts was the Forum for Communication and Consultancy for Religious Leaders, established on Tuesday in a bid to restore religious harmony following the recent riots there.

"The (forum) people made those efforts because they wished to place the interests of the public above individual or group interests," he said.

Tarmizi accused "anti-integration elements" as being behind the unrest in East Timor, feeding on the sensitive issue of religious differences. "Their scenario makes the question of East Timor even more difficult to resolve," he said. (swe)