Jakarta Hosts 2nd RI-Serbia Interfaith Dialogue

Jakarta, Oct 23 (Antara) - The second interfaith dialogue between Indonesia and Serbia kicked off here on Wednesday, with participation from government officials and religious figures from both the countries. "Indonesia and Serbia are multicultural countries with various ethnic, cultural, and religious beliefs. Hence, it is important for us to maintain communication through an interfaith dialogue such as the one (taking place) today," said Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry`s Director General of Information and Public Diplomacy, AM FAchir, here at the opening ceremony of the meet. The theme of the four-day dialogue, which ends October 26, is "Managing Religious and Cultural Diversity". . Among those taking part in the event are Indonesia`s Secretary General for Religious Affairs Ministry, Bahrul Hayat; a representative from the Orthodox Church of Indonesia, Joas Adiprasetya; a representative from the Hindu community in Indonesia, Arsana; a representative from the Buddhist community in Indonesia, Suhadi Sendjaja; and, a representative from the Konghucu community in Indonesia, Chandra Setiawan. Participants from Serbia include the Head Delegate and Director of the Government Office for Cooperation with Churches and Religious Communities, Mileta Radojevic; the President of Serbia-Indonesia Friendship Society, Alesandar Rakovic; a representative from the Serbian Orthodox Church, Protodeacon Radomir Rakic; a Mufti from Serbia, Muhamed ed Jusufpahic; the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Belgrade, Monsignor Stanislav Hocevar; and, a Serbian Rabbi, Isak Asiel. Apart from joining in the interfaith dialogue, the participants are scheduled to visit a number of religious community centers in Jakarta, such as the Orthodox Church of Jakarta, the Syarif Hidayatullah Islamic University, the office of Nahdlatul Ulama (the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia), the office of Muhammadiyah (the second-largest Muslim organization in the country), the Indonesia Alms Management Body (Baznas), and the Istiqlal Mosque (the largest mosque in Jakarta). Serbia`s Head Delegate Mileta Radojevic praised the success of the first Indonesia-Serbia Interfaith Dialogue held in 2011, saying it opened up opportunities for both countries to cooperate in the religious and cultural sectors. "We expect today`s second interfaith dialogue to be a success as this is not only an interfaith dialogue between two countries but also two leaders in the religious sector in Asia and Southeast Europe, respectively," he said.