REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Indonesian Ministry for Foreign Affairs facilitates the interfaith dialogue between Indonesia and Italy. In the three hours discussion of "Unity in Diversity: The Power of Dialogue for Peaceful Cohabitation in a Pluralistic Society", the dialogue tried to find the solution over different view on religion and culture of both countries.

“Indonesian-Italian Interfaith dialogue has been conducted for second time. The focus is to create the unity in peace on bilateral relationship of both countries,” the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marty Natalegawa, said in the opening of dialogue on Monday.

Natalegawa added that he was helped by the event as it could reconstruct private ideas of Muslim and Christian. To unite the comprehension, Italian Catholic community was represented by Community of Sant’Egidio, while Muslim was represented by Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah and chaired by the Azyumardi Azra.

“I hope the participants can get out of the comfort zone to speak their voice in their countries,” Natalegawa added.

President Community of Sant’Egidio, Prof Marco Impagliazzo, said that he had a strong commitment to maintain dialogue with Indonesian Muslim community as it gave many benefits since it was started two years ago, including the growth of knowledge on pluralistic and social culture tradition.

He said that Indonesia practice tolerance in verbally and also in daily life. “The ideology of Pancasila represents its implementation for human resources in democracy and modernity,” Impagliazzo said.

The condition is a valuable lesson that it is not impossible to live together in diversity. He added the relationship should be perfected to find the conflict solution. “Religion is as the mediator, not the cause of conflict,” he said.

The Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata, said both countries had opportunity to fill each other. Italian, he said, had full ability to promote peace by studying from glory civilization of their past. Italy has the best global civilization, while Indonesia rich in culture, religion, and faith.

“We are proud that the power of unity in diversity becomes the spirit of Indonesian-Italian dialogue,” Impagliazzo added.

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