His Excellency Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur of Bogor, while addressing the National Congress of the Indonesia’s Catholic Youth Organization, encouraged lay Catholics to get more involved in politics, saying it is not enough to just criticize government policy. His Grace Bishop Syukur also highlighted that the church wants the laity to seek posts in executive, legislative and judicial institutions.
As reported by ucanews.com, His Excellency Bishop Syukur remarked that “By engaging in politics, Catholics can expect to bring about change by promoting the values of justice, honesty, unity, peace and respect for fellow human beings as taught by the church.” Further, His Grace added, “Values must be reflected strongly in socio-political life and lay people must see elections as an opportunity to get involved in politics and Catholic lay organizations must have big dreams and look to see how many members can become involved in building this nation.”
His Excellency Bishop Syukur concluded his message by exhorting the faithful that Catholics should not let being from a minority group hold them back and reminded them that “We have the same rights as those of other groups.”
