Theologian Chambon: “Pope Francis in Asia between geopolitics and the urgency of uniting Catholics”

Expressing “closeness” to local Catholic communities and at the same time building “unity” with a view to reforming the Catholic Church. But without neglecting the geopolitical aspects of a continent that has become a “battlefield” between China, the United States and Australia. This is what Michel Chambon, a French theologian and anthropologist as well as a research fellow at the National University of Singapore, states in an interview with Adnkronos, indicating the main objectives of the long apostolic journey of Pope Francis, who will be in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and Singapore until September 13.

“One of the goals is clearly to build closeness between the Pope and local Catholics. It is not always easy for Pope Francis to make himself understood. In his effort to reform the Catholic Church in different corners of the world, including Asia, there are some alternative voices that are pushing against part of his reform agenda. And so going to these four countries also means, of course, building unity,” explains the expert on Christianity in Asia, according to whom the Pope also wants to “support” local Catholic communities in their contribution to the development of their societies “both in terms of the economy, the fight against corruption and the search for more sustainable development and, of course, when it comes to coexistence and interreligious harmony.”

According to Chambon, therefore, the great objective of the Pope’s trip is to support and push local Catholicism in a certain direction: “to open up to the rest of society, to not only take care of its own well-being, but to engage in the main current issues and make a contribution”. There is then another “more geopolitical” aspect of the visit, continues the French theologian, who cites the dialogue between Muslims and Christians – a central theme of the current visit to Indonesia – climate change – which will dominate the stage in Papua New Guinea – but also “the competition of the powers in this region, treated by large countries such as China, the United States, Australia as a battlefield for the extraction of resources”.

The focus of the research fellow at the National University of Singapore then shifts to Indonesia, the first stop on the trip and where tomorrow the Pope will sign a document in favor of interreligious dialogue between Catholics and Muslims. “Indonesia, the country with the largest Muslim community in the world, is a very interesting democratic laboratory for the search for peaceful systems and collaboration between different groups and religions. I’m not saying it’s a perfect world, but people don’t kill each other,” Chambon begins, according to whom it is “a very lively democracy” where Muslims and Christians have found a balance and where “six religions have equal rights before the law”. For these reasons, the theologian continues, Indonesia is a “unique and interesting” state that offers a different vision and “spreads different tones on Islam” compared to Middle Eastern countries.

For Francis, this is the longest trip since the beginning of his pontificate, on the threshold of his 88th birthday. “He is testing the limits, his physical limits and those of his administration,” comments Chambon, according to whom for the Pope “Asia deserves great attention” and gives him a certain “urgency” to act. “Even though he is 87 years old, it is not a big problem for him, but he refuses to postpone his commitment to the pressing issues of today,” he concludes.