A Thanksgiving Mass celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the Holy See was held for the first time at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday evening, September 30.
The liturgy, presided over by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican Secretary of State, brought together more than 300 people, including diplomats, Indonesian religious leaders, and pilgrims. Around 50 priests concelebrated the Mass.
‘Authentically Catholic, faithfully Indonesian’
In his homily, Cardinal Parolin praised Indonesia’s founding principles of Pancasila and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), describing them as deeply resonant with Christian values such as “solidarity, subsidiarity, human dignity, nonviolence, and universal fraternity.”
He said he was proud of Indonesia’s Catholic community for being both “authentically Catholic and faithfully Indonesian,” recalling similar words from Pope Leo XIV.
The Mass also remembered Pope Francis’s 2024 apostolic visit to Indonesia, during which he highlighted Pancasila as “a model for building interreligious harmony.”
Cardinal Parolin emphasized that Indonesia, despite its challenges, “can serve as an example of peaceful coexistence among religions.”
Mutual respect and shared humanitarian values
Indonesian Ambassador to the Holy See, Mikhael Trias Kuncahyono, expressed gratitude for the Vatican’s early recognition of Indonesia’s independence in 1947, calling it “the first European state to do so.”
He said the seven-decade-long relationship has been “built on mutual respect, dialogue, and shared humanitarian values.”
Both Indonesia and the Holy See, he added, share common positions on “peace, human rights, the protection of women and children, environmental sustainability, food and water security, and interfaith dialogue.”
The two also uphold a “two-state solution to the Israel–Palestine conflict” and “call for peaceful resolutions to the Russia–Ukraine war.”
Strengthening bonds through the years
Formal diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the Holy See were established in 1950, and ties have since strengthened through papal visits to Indonesia and presidential visits to the Vatican.
Today, more than 1,800 Indonesian religious men and women are serving in Italy.
The historic Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica stood as a “symbol of the enduring friendship and shared commitment of both nations to peace and human dignity.”
