Set to Attend Sant’Egidio International Meeting in Assisi, Religious Affairs Minister to Strengthen Global Religious Diplomacy

Jakarta, UIN Online News — Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs and Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque, Prof. Dr. K.H. Nasaruddin Umar, M.A., is scheduled to attend an international peace forum titled Unarmed and Disarming Peace. The meeting will take place October 25–27, 2026, in Assisi, Italy. Organized annually by the Community of Sant’Egidio, the event brings together religious leaders, political figures, cultural leaders, and civil society representatives from around the world to develop solutions to humanitarian crises and global conflicts.

According to a press release issued by the Public Relations Bureau of Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and cited by UIN Online News on Sunday (October 25, 2026), Minister Nasaruddin will be accompanied by Adiyarto Sumardjono, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Religious Affairs, who also serves as Acting Director General of Catholic Community Guidance.

In a statement issued in Jakarta on Saturday (October 24, 2026), the minister said his participation was an important part of Indonesia’s efforts to strengthen religious diplomacy on the international stage. It also builds on Indonesia’s global commitment following the second anniversary of the Istiqlal Declaration, signed jointly with Pope Francis in 2024.

“It is time for us to make the language of religion a language of diplomacy—for peace, for humanity, and for the environment,” the minister said.

At the Sant’Egidio Meetings for Peace, Minister Nasaruddin is scheduled to participate in several key sessions. The first is the Opening Assembly – Unarmed and Disarming Peace, to be held on October 25, 2026, at Umbria Fiere in Assisi. He will deliver an address at the opening session alongside five world religious leaders. The opening ceremony will also be attended by the President of the Regional Government of Umbria, representing the President of Italy.

The second session is Forum 16, titled Prayer, Dialogue and Peace: The Legacy of Assisi, scheduled for October 26, 2026, at Casa in Assisi. The minister is expected to deliver a keynote address alongside seven world religious leaders.

“I will convey the message that interfaith dialogue must not stop at agreements on paper. It must be transformed into concrete humanitarian action. Indonesia’s model of religious tolerance and harmony is considered a tangible example of how diversity can be nurtured to safeguard peace and stability,” the minister said.

The 2026 Assisi meeting coincides with the 40th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Peace, first initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1986. The program, comprising 24 thematic forums, will conclude with a peace ceremony attended by Pope Leo XIV, head of the Catholic Church.

“Through this participation, Indonesia is reaffirming its role as a bridge for world peace, conveying the message that amid escalating global conflicts, genuine and nonviolent peace remains possible,” the minister said.

The forum’s closing ceremony is scheduled for October 27, 2026, at the Basilica Inferiore in Assisi. According to Adiyarto Sumardjono, Minister Nasaruddin will stand alongside Pope Leo XIV to reaffirm their shared commitment to implementing the Istiqlal Declaration, which represents Indonesia’s tangible contribution to promoting world peace.

During his visits to Rome and the Vatican, Minister Nasaruddin is also scheduled to meet with the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations to discuss various forms of international cooperation, particularly interfaith dialogue. He will also convey an invitation for Pope Leo XIV to visit Indonesia to witness firsthand the country’s religious diversity and the development of religious life across the archipelago, Adiyarto said.

Adiyarto added that while in Rome, the minister would also discuss cooperation with PISAI (Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d’Islamistica), or the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, which operates under the auspices of the Holy See.

“The institute focuses on theology, Arab culture, and Muslim-Christian interfaith dialogue. It also has a library with an extensive collection of Islamic manuscripts and religious texts,” he said.

Separately, Rector of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Prof. Asep Saepudin Jahar, M.A., Ph.D., expressed his appreciation for the Minister of Religious Affairs’ participation in the international forum. He said the minister’s attendance was an important step toward strengthening Indonesia’s religious diplomacy while expanding the contribution of religious communities to global peacebuilding.

Rector Asep Jahar noted that the minister’s presence in Assisi conveyed the message that religion plays a strategic role in bridging differences, fostering interfaith dialogue, and promoting humanitarian action amid growing global conflicts.

“The presence of Indonesia’s Minister of Religious Affairs at the forum will strengthen Indonesia’s position as a country consistently committed to advancing religious moderation, tolerance, and social harmony as tangible contributions to global peace,” he said.

(Ministry of Religious Affairs Press Release/Zm)