he archipelago of Indonesia, one of the world's most populous countries, ( 210 million), is a mosaic of 250 ethnic groups and a variety of religions, some officially
recognized, some not. At first glance the country may appear to be completely Muslim, in fact 87% of the population profess Islam, and this makes Indonesia the country with the largest Muslim community while other religious groups are small minorities, Christianity 10% (of these 6.5 million are Catholic), Hinduism 2% and Buddhism
1%.
Indonesia in numbers:
Area 1.904.569 sq. km
Population 210,490 million
Catholics 6,284 million
Dioceses 35
Pastoral Centers 7.983
(1,044 parishes, 24 mission stations with a priest, 6,827 mission stations without a priest; other centers 88)
Bishops 41
diocesan priests 1.114
religious priests 1.769
women religious 6,889
Church's Annual Book of Statistics Vatican City
However the official figures can be misleading. Indonesians are bound by law to declare their religious belief and since 1965 religion noted on identity papers: however the choice is restricted to five officially recognized religions: Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism (erroneously seen in Asia as two different religions) Hinduism and Buddhism. Atheism is not considered. This means that many who follow Animist or other traditional religions declare themselves Muslims or Christians, which causes confusion and differences between state figures and those of the religious communities themselves.
The Indonesian Constitution, 1945, recognized the people's deeply religious nature and the fact that religious belief is a fundamental aspect of daily life, family and social. The Constitution states that Indonesia is a nation founded on faith in God and as such guarantees freedom of belief. This guarantee is based on the Asian Pancasila philosophy of five principles: faith in the one supreme God, just and civilized humanity, national unity, democracy guided by wisdom and social justice.
The majority then is Muslim, but experienced missionaries such as Italian Father Piero Gheddo of the Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions, say that instead of the officially quoted 87%, practicing Muslims in Indonesia are perhaps no more than 55% and this is because many young people declare themselves followers of Islam when they come of age, since the law requires that they choose a religion. Generally speaking, Indonesian Islam, influenced by interior mysticism practiced in Java (the most populated island with about 100 million people), is tolerant and moderate from both religious and social points of view and it allows good co-existence with other believers.
This being the case, the wave of fundamentalist demonstrations in 2001 and 2002 staged by small groups of extremists to protest against US intervention in Afghanistan was not typical of Indonesia and came as a great surprise. In fact some observers said the protests were orchestrated for political reasons. However the leaders two large moderate movements Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhamadiya with a total of about 70 million members, managed to persuade the people to remain calm and they sought to increase dialogue with other religious leaders in Indonesia.
This led to the formation of the Gerakan National Moral Movement (GMNI) comprising eminent religious leaders, Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist to promote a common ethical code for Indonesia, bear witness to harmony among believers of different faiths and show the role that believers can play in building peace and reconciliation.
Last month, on February 20, a delegation of the Gerakan National Moral Movement of Indonesia led by Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja, Archbishop of Jakarta, was received in the Vatican by Pope John Paul II to discuss the evolution of the religious situation in Indonesia and Asia and to reaffirm commitment for cooperation between religions and cultures.
(From Fides Service)