16 August to 26 August 2025, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

I took part in this forum, held every August for young people aged 20 to 30 from Southeast Asia, as a representative of We are Church. The roughly 50 participants (apart from myself and the other speakers) were from Sri Lanka, Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, South Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia. Among speakers there were one from Bangladesh and another from India.

The participants were predominantly Catholics, but there were also four Muslims and two Buddhists, who not only attended the thematic sessions, but also actively engaged in all the church services and devotionals. In Southeast Asia – a region where many religions have coexisted for centuries – interfaith dialogue often occurs in an informal way. This goes hand in hand with the fact that personal expressions of Catholic devotion are more visible and pronounced than what is typically seen in Germany.

The forum was divided into three parts. The first three days were referred to as “Exposure/Immersion”: The participants were divided into five groups: one group lived with indigenous people in a village in the hinterland, another with a community of transwomen who also run their own school, another took part in an environmental project (converting plastic waste into fuel), another visited an ecological farm and the last engaged with an educational institution in a slum district. The second and third parts consisted of workshops and presentations, respectively.

A celebration of the Eucharist took place at the beginning of the event, on Sunday and on the last day. There was a 15-minute liturgy each morning.

I myself was assigned to the “Exposure/Immersion” part of the group which spent three days in an indigenous village about 64 km outside of Yogyakarta. The village, home to 40 adults and 53 children, practices a natural religion that believes in a creator God who created the earth and the first people. They live in very modest conditions. The village community plays an important role. Although meals are prepared for all families together, they are not always eaten together. There is electricity, but no running water. They have extensive contact with the surrounding area. Some villagers have a motorcycle, practically everyone has a smartphone (which the children also play with), and some work outside the village. I did not see a television in the village.

We received a warm and friendly welcome. We experienced three very intense days in which we discussed religion and prayed and sang together. These three days made a profound impression on me and the other seven participants in my group. The villagers felt the same way, and they didn’t want us to leave.

After returning to the conference centre, all five groups reported on their experiences from the “Exposure/Immersion”. The reports from the other groups were also very interesting. The reports clearly reflected the breadth of personal experiences the participants had, providing insight into the lives of marginalised groups and the sense of connection they developed.

The workshop phase consisted of a total of three full-day workshops on the topics of (1) Neoliberalism and its consequences for the people of Asia as well as statements by Pope Francis on a humane world and economic order, (2) Reality check of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, especially poverty reduction, justice and peace. What is the real impact of the SDGs in Asia? And (3) How are Catholics in Indonesia and in Asia, including Catholic youth, working together with other religions and civil society in Asia with the goal of creating a better world? The three workshops were conducted by a lecturer from Indonesia, a professor from South Korea and a Jesuit priest from Indonesia. They were based on Catholic Social Teaching (See, Judge, Act) and were thoughtfully designed for effective learning.

It was evident from the workshops that the 40 participants were well-educated individuals with strong religious ties and a deep commitment to both the church and civil society, and that they participated actively and with confidence. Even though none of them were native English speakers, most participants were able to follow the English-language event with ease and contribute actively and spontaneously. Those who could not speak English as well were not afraid to speak, making use of Google Translate to express themselves.

The topics of the presentations in the third part of the ALL Forum were of a political and theological nature. One focussed on the consequences of the elections in India for followers of other religions, especially Muslims and Christians. Another topic was the conflict between the Philippine government and Muslims as well as the position of the church in this regard and its role in the Philippine peace process. A more general presentation addressed interfaith dialogue and its significance in relation to anthropocentrism and the distinction between the sacred and the secular. There was a very detailed report on the 2019 Easter church bombings in Sri Lanka and the successful, years-long peace process that followed, driven by the non-violent engagement of churches students and other civil society organisations. The current development in Bangladesh, in particular the role of student protests and the position of the church, was another topic. A theologically and practically oriented lecture explored how Pope Francis’s legacy might influence the future development of Asian Catholic lay movements. As a guest speaker, I myself reported on the current status of the Synod and its continuation confirmed by Pope Leo XIV, including the tasks and challenges for bishops and Christians in their dioceses. Two female Muslim lecturers from Jakarta reported on the Muslim women’s movement and its cooperation with other religions and civil groups.

In parts 2 and 3 of the ALL Forum at the conference centre, participants from the individual countries gave one-hour country reports on current political and social developments, as well as on the state of the church, in their respective country.

In my opinion, the yearly ALL Forum is a great and unique event that brings together young people from all over Southeast Asia with different religious beliefs and enables them to engage in deep and meaningful dialogue. The numerous questions about the individual presentations and country reports showed how strong the interest was in the other countries and religions. There were also many questions about my presentation – not only in the Q&A round, but also afterwards in smaller groups. It became apparent that few people in Southeast Asia are familiar with the Synod. The participants were amazed by the state-church law situation in Germany and had many detailed questions about it. There was also great interest in the significance of the resolutions of the Synodal Path for work at parish level.