Leaders of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences praised Indonesia’s Pancasila philosophy as a model for managing religious, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity while promoting social harmony.
Speaking at a press conference during the opening day of the 12th FABC Plenary Assembly in Jakarta on July 20, Filipino Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David said Pancasila had helped shape Indonesia’s national life.
“Indonesia has become a role model in demonstrating how cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and religious diversity can be managed successfully, giving rise to a peaceful and harmonious society. This is possible because Indonesia is built upon the philosophy of Pancasila,” said David, bishop of Kalookan and FABC vice president.
Pancasila serves as Indonesia’s national philosophy and provides a common framework for its religiously, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse population.
Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo of Jakarta said the vision of the plenary assembly must move beyond theological reflection and be translated into actions that make the Kingdom of God visible in daily life.
“In language that people can more readily understand, this vision is expressed through the Church’s Social Teaching, which promotes human dignity and the common good,” Suharyo said.
Structural poverty and human dignity
Suharyo said Asia continues to face structural poverty, social injustice and the failure to fully uphold human dignity.
The Church, he said, is called to stand with the poor by advocating access to education, health care and decent living conditions while working for greater social justice.
“When human dignity is respected, the inevitable consequence is that everyone is called to work for the common good,” he said.
Suharyo said poverty in Indonesia is not only an economic problem but is also rooted in a deeply entrenched feudal culture.
Social structures that distinguish people according to status and rank, he said, continue to perpetuate inequality and poverty.
David said poverty in the Philippines likewise cannot be separated from the enduring legacy of colonialism and its continuing social consequences.
Synodality and clericalism
David also identified clericalism as one of the major challenges facing the Church.
He recalled that Pope Francis repeatedly urged the Church to move away from leadership models centered exclusively on the ordained.
“We have to recognize clericalism as a problem,” David said.
He said synodality requires shared responsibility for the Church’s mission among bishops, priests, religious men and women, and laypeople.
“We are not higher Christians just because we are ordained. We acknowledge our equality and dignity through baptism,” he said.
Corruption and public life
Asked by Royani Ping of the Indonesian Catholic news outlet Sesawi.Net whether corruption would be discussed during the plenary assembly, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão of Goa and Daman, FABC president, said it was not a specific agenda item.
David, however, described corruption as a grave moral concern, particularly in the Philippines.
“It is one of the biggest sources of embarrassment for us,” he said.
David said a wide gap remains between faith and public life, with religious belief often confined to worship and personal devotion rather than reflected in honesty, integrity, and social responsibility.
He said the Church must help close that gap by providing moral and spiritual leadership and by encouraging believers to translate their faith into public action.
