Mathias Hariyadi

In recent months, the waters of the South China Sea have seen an escalation in violence and abduction. “Basic standard operating procedures are expected to be finalised by the end of May” against the Filipino Jihadi Abu Sayyaf group.

On April 26 last the terrorist group beheaded a Canadian hostage. The crew members were found yesterday in front of the house of the governor of Sulu. In good condition, they were transported to Jakarta. Mystery over the payment of a ransom: according to Philippine media it amounted to 900 thousand euro, but Indonesia denies any knowledge.

The former head of the now defunct Modern Bank, Hartono had been on the run for 13 years. Five different passports and identities did not save him. Indonesia’s intelligence agency, who found him in Shanghai, brought him home, possibly with Chinese help.

First national symposium held on the massacre of 500 thousand communists in 1965. Speakers include victims, several ministers and former army generals. Fr. Magnus-Suseno: "The government must apologize, but only when it admits the full truth. Otherwise it is just hypocrisy. "

The two students are the first Mentawai islanders to get a degree in education through a programme funded by a Catholic charity and the Diocese of Padang. Their home islands are the country’s remotest and most undeveloped region. Trained in Central java, they are on their way home, where educational levels are very low.

The list of inmates on death row includes major figures in drug trafficking, Indonesia’s number one emergency. The date and place of the execution have not yet been decided. Chinese and French prisoners are on the list. Army officer caught at a drug-based party.

People suffering from mental illness are often deemed “bewitched” and a danger to others. Poverty and ignorance lead to the terrible treatment of "crazy" people, shackled or abandoned by their families. AsiaNews’ correspondent in Indonesia met with Angelique Dolly, a Catholic woman who founded the ‘House of Angels’, a place where the sick are welcomed and cared for.

Fr. Harry Sulistyo and Fr. Steve Winarto have involved young people from all cultures to write and produce three musical performances. The most recent was staged in the prestigious theater Ciputra Jakarta Art-preneur: "The Church has the duty to reach out to everyone, even the most distant."

Residents in the village of Teges Wetan call in the police after seeing something “untoward”: two men, one dressed in female clothing, getting ready to marry. In October of last year, a similar ceremony was held without government recognition.

Hundreds of people come into the streets against the St Clara community. Some protesters even tried to attack the site of the future church, but police kept them back. Graffiti saying ‘No church construction allowed’ appeared near the site. Local authorities give Catholics a green light to go ahead.

Koerniatmanto Soetoprawiro, of Parahyangan Catholic University, speaks of Pope Francis’ appeal for the abolition of capital punishment: "Even if the offender was killed, it would not bring my son back to life. I preferred mercy, although I support the death penalty for drug traffickers. " From 1979 to 2015, 66 executions in Indonesia for crimes ranging from political corruption to terrorism.

J. Kristiadi, a political analyst, spoke at a meeting organised by the Bishops’ Commission for the Lay Apostolate. "The political class is weak and abject,” he said. “The Church must educate the new generation to do something for the common good." For the Archbishop of Ende, "politics is not a 'dirty' word” as some may want to believe.