Following Minister's Visit to Italy, Indonesia Recognised as a Model for Religious Moderation
Jakarta, UIN News Online— Minister of Religious Affairs, Prof. Dr. KH. Nasaruddin Umar M.A., has brought home several opportunities for international cooperation following his meetings with world religious leaders in Assisi, Italy. In addition to receiving positive responses to Indonesia's initiatives on religious diplomacy, the visit has opened up opportunities for collaboration with several countries and higher education institutions in Italy and the Vatican.
The Minister said that representatives from several countries had expressed an interest in establishing cooperation with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Istiqlal Mosque. These included representatives from the United Kingdom, Australia and Pakistan.
“They want to cooperate with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Istiqlal Mosque, particularly from the United Kingdom, Australia and Pakistan,” the Minister said upon his return to Indonesia on Thursday (29 October 2026), following his working visit to Italy and the Vatican.
He noted that this interest demonstrated how Indonesia's experience in managing diversity and maintaining a moderate religious environment was increasingly attracting international attention. “Indonesia is now a model, particularly in terms of our religious moderation,” he remarked.
In addition to opportunities for institutional cooperation, the Minister said that two universities in Italy and the Vatican had also expressed an interest in developing partnerships with Indonesia. Both institutions wished to learn from Indonesia's experience in maintaining national unity within a diverse society.
“There are two universities in Italy and the Vatican that have invited us to establish cooperation,” he said.
One of these institutions is PISAI (Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d'Islamistica), the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, under the auspices of the Holy See. The Minister considered the proposed collaboration an opportunity for mutual learning. Indonesia has extensive experience in managing social diversity, while the Vatican possesses a wealth of literature and scholarly traditions that can serve as valuable learning resources.
“They are interested in learning from Indonesia. Likewise, I believe we also need to learn from the Vatican,” he explained.
During the visit, the Minister also had the opportunity to visit the Vatican Library. He said he had discovered an extensive collection of Islamic literature, including several classical Islamic texts that he had rarely encountered in Indonesia or even in Middle Eastern countries.
According to the Minister, this experience highlighted the importance of knowledge exchange and dialogue between different religious traditions.
Indonesia's Ideas Could Become the Theme of a Future International Meeting
In addition to opening up opportunities for collaboration, the Minister revealed that Indonesia's ideas on ecotheology and religious diplomacy, presented at the international forum in Assisi, had attracted the attention of the organisers. He said the organisers had expressed their appreciation for Indonesia's speech and planned to follow up on its key messages at future meetings.
“Our statements on ecotheology and religious diplomacy will also become major themes at a future meeting,” he explained.
The Minister added that participants' interest extended beyond religious diplomacy to include Pancasila, Indonesia's state philosophy and foundation for national life amid diversity. According to him, the speaking session, initially allocated seven minutes, was extended to approximately 30 minutes because participants wanted to learn more about Indonesia's experience.
“They were interested and asked us to explain Pancasila. Pancasila can represent not only Indonesian values but also universal values,” he said.
The Minister further noted that several interfaith cooperation initiatives previously developed through Istiqlal Mosque had also attracted attention and were expected to be followed up. He identified April next year as one possible opportunity to continue discussions on these initiatives.
Vatican Seeks to Strengthen Cooperation with Indonesia
During the visit, the Minister was also received by the Vatican's Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations. Their meeting focused on Indonesia–Vatican relations, particularly strengthening cooperation and promoting universal humanitarian values.
According to the Minister, the Vatican viewed Indonesia as a country with the world's largest Muslim population and significant experience in maintaining moderate religious life. He said one of the common principles connecting Indonesia and the Vatican was a shared commitment to defending oppressed communities, regardless of their religious backgrounds.
“Anyone who is oppressed must be defended, regardless of their religious affiliation,” he stressed.
The Minister expressed hope that the positive responses received from various parties during the visit would lead to concrete cooperation in interfaith dialogue, education and the strengthening of religious diplomacy.
“And that, I believe, is a very good point of connection between Indonesia and the Vatican,” he concluded.
UIN Jakarta Welcomes Indonesia's Religious Diplomacy Initiatives
The Rector of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, Prof. Asep Saepudin Jahar, M.A., Ph.D., has welcomed the Minister of Religious Affairs' efforts to strengthen Indonesia's religious diplomacy on the international stage. He considered international recognition of Indonesia as a model for religious moderation an important achievement, demonstrating that the country's experience in fostering diversity carries universal relevance.
Rector Asep Jahar observed that religious diplomacy not only strengthens Indonesia's position in international relations but also creates opportunities for knowledge exchange, educational development and academic collaboration between higher education institutions across countries and religious traditions.
“UIN Jakarta welcomes the Minister of Religious Affairs' efforts to bring Indonesia's experience in managing diversity to the international forum. This demonstrates that religious moderation, interfaith dialogue and the commitment to humanitarian values that Indonesia has consistently promoted are gaining recognition and trust at the global level,” he said.
Furthermore, Rector Asep Jahar expressed hope that the opportunities arising from the visit could be translated into concrete initiatives involving higher education institutions under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. These could include strengthening research, academic and student exchanges, developing Islamic and interfaith studies, and expanding educational collaboration.
“UIN Jakarta stands ready to support the strengthening of religious diplomacy through academic contributions and the development of international partnerships. We hope that Indonesia's experience in fostering peaceful, inclusive and harmonious religious life can continue to be shared with the world. At the same time, this collaboration offers Indonesian higher education institutions an opportunity to broaden their academic perspectives through dialogue and knowledge exchange across different traditions,” he added.
(Ministry of Religious Affairs Press Release/Zm)