Indonesia Church leaders focus on dialogue, communication

(Vatican Radio) As the Church in Indonesia prepares to host a series of major national and international events later this year and in 2017, we are spending time with Church leaders there, to learn more about the challenges they face and the hope they have for the success of their mission in their ethnically, culturally, and religiously diverse country.

Vatican Radio’s Stefano Leszczynski spoke recently with Bishop Antonius Franciskus Subianto Bunyamin, O.S.C., of Bandung diocese in West Java, who is also the General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia. Bishop Bunyamin told us relations of the 100 thousand Catholic faithful with the Muslim majority population of his diocese are good, though not without difficulties, especially regarding church-building plans and projects. “In general, we don’t have any serious problem with Muslim groups,” he said, “in general they are peaceful and we have good relationships with them – but there are always groups, or some people, who are very fanatic[al], trying to influence [people] around area[s] where [a] church will be built.” He explained that this influence is not always the most friendly. “Some of them give strong warn[ing]: ‘if you give a signature to allow the church, you  will get problems in our society’,” he offered by way of illustration.

Click below to hear our report

Nevertheless, Bishop Bunyamin is confident that careful and effective communication is the key to continued peaceful coexistence and even improved rapports. “We have to communicate: we don’t want to force [the issue], even though we have a right to establish a building,” he said, “because, what we want is a peaceful situation,” adding, “my [long-term] concern is building peaceful relations,” with the broader community.

In the meantime, diocesan preparations are underway for the celebration of Indonesian Youth Day, scheduled for October 1-6, 2016, in Manado, and for Asian Youth Day, from July 30 – August 6, 2017, in Yogyakarta. “This very huge, wonderful meeting, Asian Youth Day,” he said, “is not a kind of ‘show of force’: but it is [rather] a means, a way to dialogue,” with the young people of Asia.