Christians are at a crossroads as Indonesia goes to the polls

Former army general Prabowo Subianto and governor Joko Widodo, a favourite among religious minorities, go head to head in the country’s presidential elections

Indonesia is at a historic crossroads: the result of the presidential elections on 9 July – coupled with May’s parliamentary elections – could strengthen the country’s young democracy, marking its full maturity. This also applies to the government’s relationship with religious minorities such as Christians.

The country has a young history of democracy. Less than twenty years ago, Indonesia was under Suharto’s dictatorship and the word “democracy” was still a remote concept. In 1998, a popular sub-movement overthrew the tyrant and free elections were held, an event of historical importance. Now, 187 million voters will be choosing the fourth president in Indonesia’s history. And the person they choose in this country with the largest Muslim population in the world, could really bring “Pancasila” (the five principles upon which the Indonesian Constitution is based) to life, embodying the principles of pluralism, tolerance and “unity in diversity” which make the Islamic country a cradle of intercultural and interreligious harmony.

Nuns fight against child labour in Vietnam

Every day 9-year-old Le Quang Binh (not his real name) spends his time taking care of two cows belonging to a neighbor. He takes them out to graze, washes them and cuts grass from rice fields for feed. He finishes his work after 6 p.m.

Binh, who looks thin and wan despite his suntanned face, catches birds and fish in the fields for fun and plays with three other child herders. The owner of the cows shouts at him and threatens to leave him to starve whenever he ignores the cows and accidentally lets them eat other people’s crops.

“I am paid six million dong (U.S. $286) a year to support my grandmother,” Binh said. He and his ailing grandmother, age 74, live in a small house in the central Thua Thien Hue province.

In 2012 when he was in second grade, this father died of HIV/AIDS and his Laotian-Vietnamese mother returned to her home nation and left him behind. He was left in the care of his grandparents and dropped out of school. This is all too common in Vietnam.

Binh said although he is not able to read, he got interested in school again recently when he and over 100 children spent a day at the Summer Camp of Humanity held by the Daughters of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception nuns. This event marked the U.N. World Day Against Child Labor, June 12. A local volunteer persuaded his boss to allow Binh to go to the camp.

New cardinal brings happiness and visibility to Haiti

In February, Bishop Chibly Langlois of Les Cayes, Haiti, became the 215-year-old island nation’s first Roman Catholic cardinal. It was a move that surprised many because Langlois was not an archbishop, had not spent much time outside Haiti, and, at 55, is relatively young.

Langlois is well-known in Haiti, though, where his low-key, open and friendly demeanor seemingly absorb, and reflect, the Haitian experience. Haiti, with a population of 9.5 million, is 85 percent Catholic, and has endured a long history of political upheaval, poverty and intermittent natural disasters.

Even in the poorest countries, like Haiti, there are seeds of hope and progress. A solar-powered clean water company opens in a rural town. A colonial-era dirt road gets paved with new blacktop. A new city marketplace opens next to a port being rebuilt for shipping and tourists. From the north comes news that an old shipwreck has been confirmed as La Santa Maria, one of the three ships first brought to the Americas by Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Seoul Cardinal Hopes for ‘Miracle’ During Pope’s August Visit

Catholics in South Korea are optimistic the Pope’s August trip to the country will ease tensions with North Korea and work toward a long-awaited reconciliation its northern adversary.

Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung, Archbishop of Seoul, expressed his people’s hope that Francis’ Aug. 14-18 apostolic voyage to South Korea will produce a “miracle” for the peninsular, helping both countries to enter into dialogue, according to Ecumenical News.

South Korean Catholics are also hoping the Pope will invite North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Park Geun-hye to take part in a common gesture of prayer for peace.

“In the Holy Land, the Pope invited the presidents of Israel and Palestine ‘to his home’ in the Vatican to pray together. Perhaps, Pope Francis might make a gesture of peace or detente for the two Koreas,” said Cardinal Yeom, according to CBCP, the news service of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

New Vatican theological document explores sensus fidei

The International Theological Commission (ITC) has released a study on the Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church, exploring the relationship between the sense of the faithful and the guidance of the teaching magisterium.

The sensus fidei— the sense of the faithful—refers to “the personal capacity of the believer, within the communion of the Church, to discern the truth of faith,” the ITC document explains. That sense, the commission says, “is a vital resource for the new evangelization.”

Tracing the development of the Church’s understanding of the sensus fidei from the Scriptures and Church fathers through the 20th century, the ITC emphasizes that this “spiritual instinct” is a gift of faith, and as such it is strengthened by prayer and active participation in the life of the Church.

Survey finds weak religious practice among Russian Orthodox

A survey published by the Russian news agency Interfax has found that the level of religious practice among the nation’s Orthodox population is weak.

68% of Russians surveyed describe themselves as Orthodox– up from 52% in 1997– while 6% said they were Muslims, 1% said they were non-Orthodox Christians, and 19% said they were not religious.

Among the Orthodox, only 8% attend church at least once a month, while 46% “never” attend church or go “less than once a year.” Only 4% receive Communion at least several times a year. Only 2% follow all of the church’s fasting laws, while 76% never fast.

In addition, 41% said they almost never pray, while 59% said they have never read the New Testament.