During his first full day in Indonesia, Pope Francis met with members of his Jesuit order in the capital Jakarta.
“The pope spoke about the Society, the importance of discernment and prayer. The younger ones asked him where he finds time to pray and he told some anecdotes,” Jesuit Father Antonio Spadaro told Vatican News on Wednesday.
Francis traditionally speaks with members of the Jesuits during all of his international visits. Spadaro – the editor of La Civiltà Cattolica and consultor at Pontifical Council for Culture and the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication – usually publishes a full account of these meetings in his news magazine.
On Wednesday morning, Francis met with around 200 members of the Society of Jesus, which Spadaro was a “familiar, relaxed and acute meeting.”
The meeting lasted an hour, and the Jesuit priest told Vatican News it was punctuated by a spontaneous dialogue with questions and answers, personal confidences and some jokes.
“It was a family moment, as is usual,” explained Spadaro.
“Pope Francis is always very relaxed, he feels at home, so he is able to give the first feedback on the visit,” he said.
The Jesuit priest said the number of young Indonesian brothers attracted the pontiff’s attention.
“It is perhaps the thing that struck me the most, the Holy Father noticed how young the Jesuits present in formation in Indonesia are,” he explained.
“The pope spoke about the Society, the importance of discernment and prayer. The younger ones asked him where he finds time to pray and he told some anecdotes,” Spadaro said, adding that all the themes discussed were intertwined with what was important in Indonesia “such as interreligious dialogue or inculturation, on which he insisted very much.”
“The pope loves to speak with his brothers, relaxed and in a free and spontaneous way, but he has precise rhythms,” he said.
The Jesuit priest said Francis emphasized the importance of young people and the contribution of Christians in the country. He said the pope wanted to meet the young men training to be Jesuits.
“A young Society of Jesus which also says a young Church,” Spadaro told Vatican News.
“Francis – he loves those Churches that I define as ‘zero point.’ Here we are at 3 percent, therefore a small percentage of the population, however there are 8 million and there is a significant presence within the country,” he said.
“The goal of the Christian is to contribute to the growth of the country; to be like leaven kneaded into the dough: This is really important for the pope. The message for Christians is that they collaborate fully for the common good, beyond the numbers; for the Holy Father what matters is liveliness, generative capacity,” he said.
Spadaro noted the pope will have a total of three meetings with Jesuits during his Asian trip – meeting also with members of the Order in Dili and Singapore.
“Both in this meeting this morning but also in the others we have had up to now, Pope Francis sees a possibility in this land, the possibility of harmony within a pluralistic context,” he explained.
“Even the president today spoke of harmony and pluralism. I believe there is hope here for such a threatened future, at a time when the world is divided and fractured. Therefore, the pope’s eyes are very open to reality and to the search for a future,” the Jesuit said.
