<![CDATA[This study examines how the Istiqlal Declaration, signed by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Istiqlal Mosque, Nasaruddin Umar, in Jakarta on 5 September 2024, constructs meanings of religious moderation and how religious leaders in Indonesia perceive these meanings. Grounded in social semiotics, the study adopts a mixed-methods design. The declaration’s text, together with its visual and spatial documentation, was analysed as a multimodal semiotic event. A 16-item questionnaire was developed from the four religious moderation indicators of Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs. It was given to 250 purposively selected religious figures from six faiths in Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, and Makassar, and complemented by interviews, non-participant observation, and document analysis. The findings show that the declaration combines several kinds of semiotic resources to link religious identity with citizenship, shared humanity, and ecological responsibility. These include linguistic expressions, an explicit reference to Pancasila, and spatial symbols such as the Istiqlal Mosque, its proximity to Jakarta Cathedral, and the Tunnel of Friendship. Respondents’ perceptions were positive overall (M = 4.21). Acceptance of local traditions (4.40) and anti-violence (4.32) scored highest, followed by national commitment (4.10) and tolerance (4.03). Interviews indicate that religious leaders and institutions are viewed as the main pillars for countering fanaticism, exclusivism, and religion-based hate speech in public spaces. Although the perception data do not establish causal effects, the study offers an original integration of social semiotics with Indonesia’s religious moderation framework and Pancasila. It positions the declaration as an Indonesian model that can inform global interfaith dialogue.]]>
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