Vatican greets Ramadhan in Indonesian

Vatican greets Ramadhan in Indonesian

JAKARTA (JP): The Vatican used Indonesian for the first time
in its message to Moslems across the world as they prepare for
the start of the Ramadhan fasting month next week.

Antara quoted Indonesian Ambassador to the Holy See Irawan
Abidin as saying in Rome Thursday that this was unusual. The
annual message was usually conveyed in English, Arabic, French or
Italian.

Sent through the chairman of the Pope's advisory council for
interreligious dialog, Cardinal Francis Arinze, this year's
message carried the theme: "Christians and Moslems Together in
Hope."

The message states that religious people all over the world
express their wish to be closer to God the Almighty through their
daily activities, such as prayer, fasting, and giving alms.

"The similarity (among Christians and Moslems) in expressing
faith to God is a sign of hope for (the success of) dialogs among
religions, as it has always been emphasized by Pope John Paul II
in his appeal to the religious people of the world," Arinze said.

The message also said that Christians and Moslems are members
of one big family, so they should not turn anything into a source
of conflict.

Instead, they should share happiness as well as trials and
tribulations and should support each other, Arinze said.

"As religious people, we should be realistic and sensitive to
the situation (around us) such as injustice, the gap between the
rich and the poor, unemployment, drug abuse among the youth, and
deteriorating moral values. I hope Christians and Moslems will
work hand in hand to solve these problems," Arinze added.

He said religious people in the world should unite in settling
problems without resorting to violence, showing only great
respect for other religions and human rights. (swe)