By UCA News reporter
INDONESIA — Indonesians have hailed the Vatican’s decision to appoint a fourth cardinal, Franciscan Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur of Bogor, from the Muslim-majority nation visited by Pope Francis last month.
Cardinal-designate Syukur, secretary-general of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, (KWI), will be installed on Dec. 8 on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Syukur is among 21 new cardinals chosen by Francis on Oct. 6.
The new cardinal “is Pope Francis’ recognition of the growth of Catholics in Indonesia,” noted Hargo Mandirahardjo, chairperson of the Presidium of the Indonesian Catholic Scholars’ Association.
During his four-day visit to Indonesia from Sept. 3, Pope Francis had firsthand experience of faith in Indonesia, noted Mandirahardjo.
The faith in Indonesia is “much more dynamic than in Europe.” The Catholic Church needs Indonesia and “the Vatican is aware of this,” Mandirahardjo said.
After all, the Southeast Asian nation “is the largest exporter of missionaries in the world,” he claimed.
Indonesia’s first cardinal, Justinus Darmojuwono, died in 1967. The other two cardinals are Jesuit Cardinal Julius Riyadi Darmaatmadja, 89, and 74-year-old Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo who heads Jakarta archdiocese.
Cardinal-designate Syukur is from Labuan Bajo on Catholic-majority Flores Island. He is the only cardinal from outside Java, the commercial center of the world’s fourth most populated nation with over 280 million people. Christians make up 24 million of Indonesia’s population and Catholics account for about 7 million.
Father Mikael Peruhe, provincial of St. Michael the Archangel province in Indonesia, said the appointment of Syukur “is a sincere appreciation from Pope Francis.”
By adding one more cardinal from the multi-cultured Asian nation, “there is certainly an intention and hope from Pope Francis,” he said.
“We, the friars, both in Indonesia and the entire order, rejoice in the trust of Pope Francis who appointed our brother as a cardinal,” he told UCA News.
He said the appointment encourages respect for the poor and the marginalized, which is often stressed by the 87-year-old pope.
During the trip to Indonesia, Francis met with President Joko Widodo, diplomats, charity workers, and members of poor and marginalized communities, including refugees and orphans. He presided over a Mass for about 80,000 people at the national football stadium in the capital Jakarta while millions joined live telecasts across Indonesia and beyond.
Hermawi Taslim, chairman of the Alumni Communication Forum of the Indonesian Catholic Students’ Association, said he was happy with the decision of Pope Francis.
The appointment will impart “a new spirit for Indonesian Catholics” to improve their faith,” he said.
Syukur has served as provincial of the Franciscans in Indonesia twice since 2001.
In his second term in 2009, he was appointed as a member of the Franciscans’ Definitor-General for the Asia and Oceania region.
In 2013, Syukur was appointed Bishop of Bogor, replacing another Franciscan bishop, Michael Cosmas Angkur.
