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)