From 10th to 13th July a meeting organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio took place in Jakarta, titled “Church of All, particularly Church of the Poor”. The participants were priests, religious and 11 bishops of various parts of Indonesia, all friends and spiritually close to the Community.

Over two days they reflected on how to realize the dream of Vatican Council II: how to be a Church which is friends with the poor and in dialogue with the world. Particular attention was given to the Indonesian context.

From the meeting a shared desire emerged to translate these reflections into concrete choices. This became very tangible during the participation to the weekly food distribution to the homeless organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio in Jakarta.

Siti Musdah Mulia also contributed to the meeting. She is aMuslim scholar and has taken part, for several years, in the meetings of Prayer for Peace organized by Sant’Egidio, supporting its work for the abolishment of death penalty. In her testimony she explained how it is possible to overcome ethnic and religious barriers and work together for peace through friendship and collaboration, in particular in the service to the poor.