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ouths from interfaith communities recently concluded a cordial gathering at the Kristus Raja Cathedral square in Maumere, Sikka regency, East Nusa Tenggara.

The meeting, which was intended to serve as a unifying catalyst, was aimed at expanding the horizons of participants by demonstrating that religious harmony and humanity are beyond the exclusive interests of religion itself.

The proceedings also initiated the emergence of an assembly of environmental religious writers from islands in the eastern regions of Indonesia, such as East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and even Bali.

“The event proves that people from different religious backgrounds and different religious-based humanitarian institutions can be united in a common humanitarian program,” said Pastor Eman J. Embu, SVD, Caritas Maumere program manager and organizing committee head of the interfaith seminar and workshop late last month.

In the end, Eman concluded that the question was not about religion or faith, but what could be done for humanity. “To be more specific, how can religious values motivate us to provide humanitarian services?” said the writer and editor of Kabar Caritas bulletin.

“In general, humans are the same. What makes us different is negligence,” said Muhammadiyah University lecturer and provincial chapter Muhammadiyah health secretary general Husnan Nurjuman. He explained that inaccurate interpretations could instigate people with similar objectives to form opposing groups, even if they were still affiliated under the same umbrella grouping.

Dozens of participants were trained during the event on how to improve their writing skills in order to better describe their thoughts on humanitarian issues — a fundamental objective of environmental religious writing.

Most inter-sector representatives, including priests, fathers, sisters, lawyers, journalists, activists, teachers and students, submitted writings that were environmentally religious in nature, such as concern for environmental damage, social gaps and interreligious harmony, which some say has been tarnished by the interests of various political elite.

Many of the articles were published in the media, such as the Flores Pos, Flores Star and Kabar Caritas.

“The interfaith seminar and workshop is necessary and important for opening our perspectives, so we could write and express humanitarian issues easily through the media. We hope that such activities could be conducted on a regular basis so as to develop and maintain friendship and harmony at the grass roots level,” said Jacon Herin, who wrote for the Post from East Timor from 1988 to 1992. Jacob is currently serving at the Caritas Maumere Justice Commission and is also an arts and culture writer.

“We are concerned about the waste issue in Maumere, but when we came across a group of high school students and asked them whether they were also concerned about environmental issues, they instead answered epeng kaa, or ‘why should we care’ in the local dialect,” said Pastor Ofridus Opi, a participant who wrote about the unnerving state of the environment due to plastic waste in Maumere in an essay titled “Beware of Plastic Waste”.

Other articles include, “God Allah Rice-for-the-poor” by Father Redemtus Kono, SVD, and “For Me My Religion and For You Your Religion” by Father Wilson Watu, SVD, a student at the Ledalero Catholic Philosophical institute in Sikka regency. Both related to facts and dynamics of interfaith dialogue and environmental responsibility.

The event was attended by participants from interfaith communities as well as other nations, including Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Uganda.

The interfaith seminar was jointly organized by religious institutions, such as Caritas Indonesia, Caritas Maumere, Caritas Germany, Muhammadiyah, Nahdlatul Ulama, Humanitarian Forum Indonesia and Dompet Dhuafa.