Many of us may not realize that Jan. 1 each year is the World Day of Peace. This tradition dates back to Jan. 1, 1968, when Pope Paul VI initiated the event.
Since then, every year the Pope has published his World Day of Peace message not only for Christians, but all people on Earth. For 2011 World Day of Peace, Pope Benedict XVI has released the message titled “Religious Freedom, the Path to Peace”.
There are at least three reasons why Pope Benedict has chosen religious freedom as the path to peace.
First, the end of 2010 was again marked by persecution, discrimination, terrible acts of violence and religious intolerance among people around the world.
As we know, a theater of violence can be found in some countries, including Indonesia, even in the name of religion.
Second, it is painful to think that in some areas it is impossible to profess one’s religion freely without risking one’s personal liberty or life, while in other areas we see subtler and more sophisticated forms of prejudice and hostility toward believers and religious symbols.
Of course, such a state of affairs is unacceptable, for it represents an insult to God and human
dignity.
Furthermore, it is a threat to security and peace, and an obstacle to the achievement of authentic and integral human development.
Third, religious freedom expresses what is unique about human beings, for it allows us to direct our personal and social life to God.
This is why to deny or arbitrarily restrict this freedom is not only to foster a reductive vision of a person, but also to eclipse the role of religion.
This terrible attitude creates a society that is unjust, in as much as it fails to take account of the true nature of a person. Above all, it is to stifle the growth of human beings.
Why is religious freedom so important for building peace in society? First of all, religious freedom is the absolute right for everybody. Essentially, the right to religious freedom is rooted in the very dignity of a person. We cannot ignore it.
Furthermore, religious freedom is really the origin of moral freedom. In this sense, religious freedom should be understood, then, not merely as immunity from coercion, but even more fundamentally as an ability to order one’s own choices in accordance with truth.
Indeed, freedom and respect are inseparable. In exercising their rights, individuals and social groups are bound by the moral law to have regard for the rights of others, their own duties to others and the common good of all.
It is very correct when religious freedom is acknowledged well, the dignity of the human person is respected, while the ethos and institutions of peoples are strengthened.
Contrarily, whenever religious freedom is denied and attempts are made to hinder people from professing their religion or faith and living accordingly, human dignity is offended. This therefore threatens justice and peace in society.
Essentially, religious freedom not only leads us to a peaceful society, but also inter-religious freedom. That is why we should uphold the survival of this inter-religious freedom above many other things to engage peace among us.
In Indonesia, respecting inter-religious freedom is really a big problem that should be solved wisely. There are so many factors that make it difficult for us to respect inter-religious freedom.
So, we — whether we are Muslim, Catholic, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Confucian or believer of a native religion — must realize we belong to the same human family that God loves!
All of us have the same task and mission that is to make our society better in peace.
As the country with the largest Muslim population in the world, it is our challenge to show to the world that the philosophy of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) and Pancasila are not lost.
Let us face this new year by making Indonesia a promoter of inter-religious freedom.
Happy and peaceful New Year!
The writer is a diocesan priest and the chief of the Commission for Interfaith Affairs at the Archdiocese of Semarang, Central Java.
Aloys Budi Purnomo
