Indonesian Cardinal marks 25th Episcopal anniversary

On August 22, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, the Archbishop of Jakarta, Indonesia, celebrated his 25th episcopal anniversary. He was consecrated bishop on August 22, 1997. 

In an exclusive interview with Radio Veritas Asia, the Cardinal spoke about his vocation and ministry over the past 25 years, detailing how the Catholic Church has grown in the Archdiocese of Jakarta (KAJ) and Indonesia, the challenges of missionary work, and his message of hope to the people.

****
What still resonates strongly with the announcement of the Vatican as Bishop?

The nuncio called me at that time and asked me to come to the Nunciature in Jakarta. I was a lecturer and staff member at St. Paul's, Yogyakarta, a city on the Indonesian island of Java. I was told that Pope John Paul II had named me a bishop. I was given time to pray in the chapel of the Nunciature.

After talking about the appointment for a while, during which I could not say no, I was asked to write down that I accepted the job as Archbishop of Semarang in the Central Java province in Indonesia. I was forbidden from telling anyone about this "burden," which is the heaviest aspect of the situation.

What are the most important things that the KAJ has done or tried to do in the last few years?

I have served KAJ for 13 years. We work together on a number of projects, like making the "symbol of the Archdiocese of Jakarta" with the motto "Good and Generous Shepherd" and coming up with the "Basic Direction of the Archdiocese" every five years.

From 2016 to 2020, a basic direction encourages people to live the "Pancasila" (Five Principles), the spirit of love for the motherland, more fully. In all parishes of KAJ, there is a three-minute catechesis on the social teachings of the church before the final blessing of each Mass. There are many lay-led movements, such as the "Let's Go to School Movement," which provides scholarships for economically poor students to study.

Now, the movement consists of three elements: Let's go to school; Let's go to college and Let's go to work. Caring for our brothers and sisters who are included in People with Mental Disorders is a new effort this year. This is a product of the KAJ’s understanding of the Church as a Communion and Movement.

What have you perceived in your 25 years as a shepherd?

I have provided church-related concepts. Initially, I introduced the notion of the church as an event. Several years later, I proposed a second concept: the Church as a Community of Hope. I concluded by discussing the Church as a Movement. It turns out that these formulas inspire inventive ways of interpreting and carrying out the plan.

As the formula says, priests, nuns, and laypeople in both the Archdiocese of Semarang (for 12 years) and the Archdiocese of Jakarta (for 13 years) were participating in constructing the face of the Church.

In contemporary church parlance, "walking together" has long been a habit. So, it is easy to ask people to follow the ideas in "Towards a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, Mission."

What is also really intriguing is that the people are extremely committed to living up to one of the early slogans: more faith, more brothers, and more compassion.

The Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) has three distinct dimensions of dialogue: dialogue with religion, culture, and the poor. How have the three dialogues been implemented in KAJ and Indonesia?

The three areas of dialogue are still very relevant for the Catholic Church in Indonesia. The Catholic Church in Indonesia needs to dialogue with other religious groups, especially Muslims since 87 percent of the country's people are Muslim.

Dialogue with the poor is seen as the main mission of the church. The most difficult aspect of cultural dialogue is that, although its significance is widely acknowledged, its implementation remains far off and uncertain.

What is the development of the Indonesian Catholic Church?

If this development is understood as the number of people, then the Catholic Church in Indonesia is clearly growing. There are adult baptisms in almost all parishes in the Archdiocese of Jakarta—I think in other dioceses as well.

If development means increasing the vocation of priests and religious lives, the answer is development. There are many superior generals of the International Order from Indonesia. This morning I met with the Divine Word Missionaries (SVD) leader, who informed me that there are approximately 600 SVD missionaries in 58 nations.

From what I have seen, the challenge that will never be solved is getting the Catholic Church in Indonesia to be more in line with "Gaudium et Spes" (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Second Vatican Council, 1965) and the Church's Social Teachings.

What challenges have you faced in your ministry and mission at KAJ?

In the awareness that the challenge of the nation is also the challenge of the Church, the biggest challenge is the struggle to build public civility. The role of the state, the role of the business world, and the role of the community are still far from what they should be.

Of course, this is related to unequal education, the gap between rich and poor, a legal system that does not guarantee mutual prosperity, and cultural backgrounds that are diverse and complex.

That is why for the last five years we have invited people to explore and seek creative ways to realize the values of Pancasila, and this year we will start with the Social Teachings of the Church.

What are your hopes for KAJ and the Indonesian Catholics?

The Catholic Church in Indonesia recognizes the motto that was formulated—and later modified—by Albertus Soegijapranata, the first Bishop of Indonesia, which is 100 percent Catholic and 100 percent Indonesian.

As far as I can understand until now, it means that Indonesian Catholics have a historical responsibility to care for the main characteristics of the Indonesian people: love for the homeland and care.

This is what the KAJ is trying to do by looking at the values of Pancasila (love of the homeland) and the values of the Church's Social Teachings.