The president made the statement at a meeting with representatives of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) and Indonesian Gospel Institute (PP-PGLII) at his office on Thursday.
In a press conference after the meeting, PP-PGLII chairman Nus Reimas said President Yudhoyono stressed the importance of Pancasila as a cohesive force of the nation in development.
"The president warned that as a nation we must be thankful that the nation had the vision and foundation of Pancasila to keep marching on," Nus said.
According to him, the president also stressed that the diversity of Indonesia should not create misunderstanding among religious and ethnic communities in the country.
He said the people of Indonesia should also be realistic and accept the diversity by respecting the identity of every religion, ethnicity, and group.
"We have to be more mature to overcome every misunderstanding and make Indonesia as peaceful as possible," Nus quoted the president as saying.
Nus Reimas said all religions have noble and universal values that have to be respected.
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Editor: Bambang
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