The Pacific Conference of Churches says it is unimpressed by comments made by Indonesian officials about a protest over West Papua at the recent Pacific Island Forum Leaders’ Summit in Apia. Indonesia’s Ambassador to Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand, Tantowi Yahya, says protesters supporting West Papua independence should have sought a government permit before they Read more
An Indonesian bishop says he will suspend a priest who has decided to run for political office. Bishop Ludovicus Manullang of Sibolga in North Sumatra said he would suspend Fr Rantinus Manalu. The priest is to run for public office in local elections next year. Fr Manalu is known for his anti-corruption stance and support Read more
More than 200 Catholic couples were married in a huge tent in a nuptial Mass in Indonesia. The event, involving 239 couples and several priests, took place on the property of St Filomena Church in Mena. The main reason for the combined wedding was the desire to assist the issuing of marriage certificates by the state. This Read more
Reports from Indonesia indicate police arrested almost 1700 people in West Papua for taking part in a series of demonstrations across the region. Most have since been released. In the wake of the arrests, New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully, not for the first time, was pressed about the rights situation in West Papua. “The Read more
There is a particularly good chance Pope Francis will visit Indonesia next year. However, the Vatican has not released any official confirmation. The Indonesian bishops want Francis to come for Asian Youth Day. The 7th Asian Youth Day is taking place in Yogyakarta, a city on the island of Java, from July 30 to Aug. Read more
Last week 23 bishops made a rare visit to Indonesia’s most easterly province, West Papua. Catholic Bishops of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands have been meeting at St.Anthony’s Pilgrim House, Vanimo, for their Annual General Meeting from 4 to 15 April 2016. The bishops had a meeting with 4 of the 5 bishops of Read more
The Pacific Conference of Churches has asked governments and donors not to attach conditions to relief efforts in the region. The call came as Indonesia’s Co-ordinating Minister for Political Affairs, Law and Security visited Fiji. Luhut Binsar Padjaitan was reportedly delivering Fiji an assistance package worth up to US$5 million, plus a contingent of engineers, Read more
A Catholic report has identified a slow motion genocide happening in West Papua amid a growing Islamisation of the area. The report was compiled by the Brisbane Catholic Justice and Peace Commission’s Shadow Human Rights Fact Finding Mission to West Papua. It came after a visit to West Papua last month by Josephite Sr Susan Read more
In the greatest environmental disaster of the 21st Century (so far), Indonesia has been blotted out by smoke. And the media. I’ve often wondered how the media would respond when eco-apocalypse struck. I pictured the news programmes producing brief, sensational reports, while failing to explain why it was happening or how it might be stopped. Read more
About 8,000 Catholics packed an open coastal area on the west side of Dili, Timor Lesté’s capital, to mark 500 years of the Church’s presence in the island nation. The Aug 15 Mass was held at Tasitolu, the site of a 1989 Mass celebrated by Pope John Paul II. Catholics came from all over the Read more