The spell of Pope John Paul II

Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

It was a day I will always remember. I queued along with 10 other Indonesian Catholic businessmen and journalists to be blessed by Pope John Paul II in the Vatican in February 2000. It was after then president Abdurrahman Wahid and his daughter Yenni Zannuba accompanied the pope to receive us after their 40-minute bilateral talks.

Frankly I was rather disappointed when the pontiff presented a medallion to senior economist Frans Seda who stood before me, because actually I expected to receive a rosary from the Holy See. (But later I learned that, according to Vatican tradition, a rosary is for women and the medallion for men.)

My facial expression apparently attracted the Pope's attention, and I was late kneeling before him.

"Are you Catholic?" the Pope asked me softly. I nodded, but lacked the courage to tell him I was expecting a rosary. The president laughed upon hearing his question because he knows I am Catholic.

That was my second personal encounter with John Paul II, who celebrates his 25th anniversary as pope today. The first was when I covered his visit to Jakarta and East Timor in October 1989. At that time I missed a chance to receive a rosary from him because I did not manage to get close to him.

President Soeharto acted as a nearly perfect host for the pope during his visit here, especially because he hoped the Vatican would support Indonesia's occupation of East Timor. The pope celebrated mass in Jakarta, Medan in North Sumatra, Yogyakarta and Flores in East Nusa Tenggara, where he used Indonesian. My father was among the few people who had a chance to receive the holy communion directly from him in Medan.

The most-awaited mass however was in Dili, East Timor, a territory occupied by Indonesia until 1999. Indonesian officials at that time were very anxious as to whether the pope would kneel and kiss the land when he landed in Dili, which for years he practiced upon his arrival in a state. Such a kiss would mean the pope recognized the predominantly Catholic East Timor as an independent state. It did not happen, but the pope used the local Tetun language during the mass there.

To about 200,000 East Timorese gathered at his mass, he said in his sermon, "From the beginning I have followed your situation with concern. You have experienced destruction and death as a result of conflict. Many innocent people have died, while others have been prey to retaliation and revenge. For too long you have been suffering a lack of stability ..."

Ten years after the papal visit to the province, East Timorese people fulfilled their dream of an independent state.

"Pope John Paul II played a crucial moral role for the independence," said a former minister who knew much about East Timor and about the pope's role in inspiring the East Timorese.

Meanwhile his message to Indonesian Catholics, a minority here, remains relevant although it was conveyed 13 years ago. The Pope cited remarks on the biblical story about Jesus telling people to give to the king what belongs to the king and to the Lord what belongs to the Lord.

He said the congregation "must be fully Catholic and fully Indonesian at the same time".

"I therefore call on all Indonesian Catholics to become children of the nation and good Indonesian citizens."

His message to Indonesian Muslims here at that time also made everlasting sense. "And to our Muslim brothers and sisters, numerous in this country, I extend the sincere and heartfelt friendship in our common belief in the one God, our creator, the merciful God."

In his book Crossing The Threshold of Hope", he expressed his admiration on the religiosity of Muslims. "It is impossible not to admire, for example, their fidelity to prayer. The image of believers in Allah who, without caring about time or place, fall to their knees and immerse themselves in prayer remains a model for all those who invoke the true God, in particular for those Christians who, having deserted their magnificent cathedral, pray only a little or not at all."

Indonesia is only one of not less than 102 countries that he has visited since his October 1978 election to the papacy. Although Catholics are a minority here he has followed the situation here with close attention.

He often mentioned the name of the country during Christmas and Easter celebrations or during his weekly public audience, especially when violence erupted here.

In his Urbi et Orbi ("To the City and to the World") message on Easter eve in April 1999, the pontiff said, "I hope that Indonesians will be blessed by God with understanding and feelings of love for each other, motivating all to cooperate in striving for their common welfare."

In January 2000, when violence between Christian and Muslims was escalating in Maluku, the Pope mentioned Maluku in his message of peace.

"May the message of peace from Bethlehem echo forcefully in places struck by catastrophe and war, particularly in Maluku," the pontiff told 7,000 pilgrims attending the weekly general audience.

"May this message of peace break the chain of vengeance, heal the wounds of hatred, drive away temptations of violence and encourage Christians and Muslims to see themselves as members of the same human family."

In February this year in the Vatican, the pope received an interfaith delegation from Indonesia, including Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja, NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi, Muhamamdiyah chairman Syafii Maarif, Hindu leader I Nyoman Suwanda, and Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid.

"I think that not all visitors are granted a 40-minute audience (with the pope)," Hasyim said after the audience.