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Jakarta archbishop calls on Catholics to serve nation

A lack of a service-oriented sense of thinking 'leads to corrupt practices'
Jakarta archbishop calls on Catholics to serve nation
Published: August 17, 2016 09:12 AM GMT
Updated: August 17, 2016 09:14 AM GMT

Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo of Jakarta has called on Indonesian Catholics to serve the country, and avoid self-serving and corrupt practices that could destroy the nation.

"A spirit or willingness to serve should be put into practice," he told about 300 Catholics attending an Aug. 13 seminar in Jakarta.

The seminar entitled "Mental Revolution: Indonesia Serves" was held to mark Indonesia's 71st Independence Day on Aug. 17.

Men like to be served rather than serve, the prelate said.

"Since the beginning … the first man wanted to be like God. For man, God was just someone with power. Man never thought about God with mercy. What man wanted was the power of God," he said.

However, "Jesus Christ came to the world to serve instead of to be served," he said.

A willingness to serve should come from within oneself, the archbishop said, adding that if this is lacking bad practices such as corruption are often the result.

Corruption is a recognized problem in Indonesia, which is currently ranked 88th out of 168 countries on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index for 2015.

 

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