inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The leader of the World Catholic Church who is also the Head State of Vatican, Pope Francis, relays two important messages to Indonesians to preserve interfaith community harmony in Indonesia.

"First, always look at things in depth, because only there can you find what is common in differences," said Pope Francis on Thursday (9/5/2024).

Pope Francis expressed his opinion by referring to the Tunnel of Friendship that connects the Istiqlal Mosque and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jakarta.

According to him, the tunnel is underground, which means it is hidden and not visible like roots. However, the tunnel leads to a place where religion and divine things can be found.

With the presence of various religious communities passing through, said Pope Francis, this is an effort by each community to look deeply into the process of finding their God.

The second message is to preserve the relationship between religious communities as he refers to the Tunnel of Friendship again which builds to connect one side to another that is different from each other.

According to him, in order to bring different religions and beliefs closer together in the world, people sometimes try to find common ground between doctrines and confessions between religions in the world.

"However, in reality it can also divide us, because the doctrines and confessions of each religion are different. What really brings us closer is to create relationships between the different peoples, always maintaining the bonds of friendship," Pope Francis explained.

He emphasized that this is a genuine relationship, where each party is committed to seeking the truth together by studying each other's religious traditions, to meet each other's spiritual needs.

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