Pope Francis: Religions must seek solutions to the challenges faced by world community

In his message to the delegates of the R20 Religion Forum, Pope Francis said that "the most obvious role of religion is seeking solutions to the challenges that today affect not only individuals but also entire societies, nations, and the world community."

Pope Francis made this statement in his official remarks read by the Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia, Piero Pioppo, at the Religious 20 (R20) forum in Bali, Indonesia, from November 2–3.

The subject of "transcendence," which relates to divine principles, religion, or belief, cannot remain a purely personal concern, but must also be discussed in the context of the world's dynamics, he added.

The Pope urged the religious groups to show the public that they all share a spiritual and moral history based on transcendence and brotherhood. 

“This is because the world is more focused on disregarding God and doing evil in his name,” said the pope.

Regardless of faith, he added, all humans pose the same question: "Who am I?" Where do I originate? Why is there injustice, violence, and death in the world? What happens when this life is over?

"Faced with these questions, the world's faiths call on us to go beyond the illusion of our own autonomy and to bring our vision to the One Above, to the God who created us, to become one human family, and to the God who brings life and hope to all, " the pope concluded. 

Yahya Cholil Staquf, the General Chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board said that the R20 conference, which they started with the World Muslim League, is different in several ways from other interfaith dialogues.

"The difference in this forum is that everyone is truthful! Yahya told reporters on November 3 following the conclusion of R20 in Nusa Dua, Bali.

"You can listen to the Nigerian bishop's explanation of how the Muslim majority there persecutes the Christian minority," Staquf said.

"At the R20 Forum, there is a special session to talk about "historical grief" and "truth-speaking" in terms of how religions around the world relate to each other", he added. 

The organizer stated that 338 people from 32 nations participated in the event, of whom 124 were foreign-born. There were 45 speakers from five continents in the forum.

Nahdlatul Ulama known as NU (the Revival of the Religious Scholars), an Islamic group in Indonesia, and the Muslim World League (MWL) initiated the R20 Forum to talk about how to end conflicts based on religion and how religion can help solve problems around the world in Bali. 

NU was founded on January 31, 1926, as a reaction to the reformist Muhammadiyah organization, which was becoming more and more powerful. Estimates of its membership range between 40 and 95 million, making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. 

NU is also a charity that helps pay for schools and clinics and brings people together to fight poverty.-Kasmir Nema.