Bandung Diocese holds diversity forum for young people of all faiths in Indonesia

The pastoral Focus Team of the diocese of Bandung held a diversity forum on October 28–30 for 700 young people from different religions. 

The theme was "The Joy of Brotherhood in Diversity."

The head of Bandung Diocese's Pastoral Focus Team, Father Antonius Haryanto, stated that the purpose of this joint diversity activity is to invite young friends and activists of all faiths to discuss the role of Indonesia's youth, who come from diverse backgrounds but are committed to the spirit of nationalism and have a clear vision.

"The diversity activity is meant to promote the joy of brotherhood in a society with many different religions and beliefs, and young people have promised to promote dialogue and cooperation between religions and beliefs," Father Haryanto said.

“This program would act as a snowball and inspire more individuals to create fraternity," said the priest, adding that “a series of events aims to bring individuals closer together despite their diverse perspectives and beliefs.”

Father Haryanto said that another goal of these kinds of activities is to make sure that no group is judged negatively.

"Young people who take part are expected to keep growing and help solve common social problems like poverty, corruption, violence in the name of religion, and divisions between groups," said the priest.

He hopes that the diversity activities will help the diocese reach its pastoral goal for 2022, which is to teach young people to appreciate the gift of diversity by encouraging conversation and working together.

Ahmad Farid, one of the people who took part, said that the activity made him think more positively about people of other faiths.

"I'm getting the courage to admit that I have false ideas about other religions and get rid of them," Farid said.

He also said that after this "warm gathering," the people who took part in camping activities decided to keep spreading brotherhood in their own towns.

“It's nice to meet different friends. We are brothers even though we are different," said another participant, Rona Marisa Simamora.

The Diocese of Bandung is in the eastern and central parts of Parahyangan, which is in West Java. It covers a total area of 23,537.51 km2.

The diocese also offers categorized services in addition to parish services. These tasks are done by commissions or diocesan foundations like the Liturgical Commission, Scripture, Community Socio-Economic Development, Education, Labor, and Relations with Other Religions and Beliefs. -Kasmir Nema.