Mathias Hariyadi

Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Office is becoming more inclusive, Religious Affairs Minister Qoumas announced, with services available to "all Indonesian citizens”, not only Muslims. Its premises will be open for weddings of members of religious groups that do not yet have places of worship.

The priest passed away this week at the age of 80. For decades, he was the soul of the STF Driyarkara in Jakarta. It was he who brought many lay people closer to the study of a discipline that was thought to be reserved for seminarians and who promoted 'Indonesian studies' on the thinking behind local values and multi-ethnic cultures.

While it will take days before final results are in, the former general is projected to win around 60 per cent of votes. “Indonesians want harmony among their leaders,” he told his supporters.

Tomorrow the country will choose its new president and vice president. The latest polls suggest that the current defence minister will win with Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of the outgoing president. Remarks by the Archbishop of Jakarta, Card Ignatius Suharyo, about the "collapse" of democracy and the Old Testament stir social media with people giving vent to hate but also expression of maturity.

From February, the term 'Isa al Masih' will no longer be used, but the more appropriate 'Jesus Christ'. For the outgoing leader, it is a desire to show the plural and open face of the country. And to file away the controversy and protests over support for his Defence Minister Subianto and his son, the vice-presidential candidate (ahead in the polls).

Outgoing President Joko Widodo is in the crosshairs of the Elections Commission for changes to the law that will allow his son to run for vice-president. While legal, it is ethically wrong. Meanwhile, Prabowo Subianto is favoured to win in the 14 February election.

The Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Piero Pioppo led the episcopal ordination of the new coadjutor Archbishop Fransiskus Nipa. The metropolitan archbishop, Mgr Johannes Liku Ada', was also present. He recently turned 75 and has health problems, limiting his activity. One of the new prelate’s first assignments will be taking care of 49 parishes in four provinces on the island of Sulawesi.

The German-born Jesuit missionary died in recent days at the age of 87. He founded Pusat Musik Liturgi (Pml), a highly successful center. He composed more than 1,800 liturgical pieces with Paul Widyawan. In 2018 he had been the target of a serious attack by Islamic fundamentalists.

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that it was “deeply disturbed to see a mob attack on a site sheltering vulnerable refugee families, the majority being children and women.” It urges the Indonesian government to provide the refugees with greater protection.

The ongoing wave of migration to Indonesia is the strongest since 2017, when the harshest persecution in Myanmar began. Discontent is mounting among the population, especially in Aceh province. President Joko Widodo: 'Tough action against human traffickers, temporary assistance only for refugees'.

Convened by Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, the Peaceful Indonesia Forum issued a statement calling for free and fair voting, following a clash between opposing political factions that left one person dead last month.

The official death toll now stands at 13 with 12 people still missing. Search operations are expected to continue for a week, but rain and ongoing eruptions are complicating the situation. Dozens of hikers were near the crater with almost 50 managed getting treatment in hospitals yesterday.