A woman inks her finger after voting in Indonesia's presidential election in July 2014. Bishops in the country want to encourage young Catholics to participate in the electoral process ahead of local elections on Dec. 9. (Photo by Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP)
Part of being a good Catholic is good citizenship, young adults in Indonesia were told by the country's bishops.
About 20 young Catholic adults attended a bishops' "School for Democracy" workshop held Sept. 18-20 in Jakarta. During the program, the students were reminded that for many of them, the Dec. 9 local elections would represent the first time they could vote.
"Our young Catholic people will be mobilized to take an active part in the preparation of the elections," said Father Antonius Haryanto, secretary of the bishops' conference's Commission for Youth.
Father Haryanto said that part of the goal of the school was to educate young Catholics on the need to participate in the election process and to monitor their elected leaders in order to help build democracy.
Many young adults were apathetic to the election process "because they think politics is dirty and full of intrigue," Father Haryanto told ucanews.com.
"We are encouraging their involvement in politics as part of the call to be a good Catholic," he said.
Joannes Joko, a facilitator of the program, said that while the program encouraged young Catholic adults to take an active part in politics, the goal also was to galvanize them to take an interest in the issues affecting their communities, and to understand how to use the political process to solve problems.
"Young Catholic adults must believe that politics is a matter related to their daily lives," said Joko, who serves as secretary-general of the Indonesian Catholic Graduates Association.
"The program wants to make Catholics realize that they, too, are called to do something for society," he added.
Yohana Lobo, a young Catholic from Makassar diocese, said young Catholic adults were "allergic to politics."
"In our diocese, efforts taken to make Catholics understand the importance of and the basis of political involvement is still low," she said.
Yasintus Runesi, from South Jakarta, said he learned how his "Catholic identity impacts me in politics.
"Of all the Church's political concept, I see that the Church's social teachings serve as a guideline on what good politics should be," he said.