Bandung (AsiaNews) – Bishop Antonius Subianto Bunjamin of Bandung was elected as the new president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Indonesia (KWI)[*] while Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur of Bogor becomes the new general secretary.
Yesterday’s election marks a time of renewal for the Catholic Church in Indonesia. In fact, earlier this month, during the ordination ceremony of Valentinus Saeng as the new bishop of Sanggau, outgoing KWI President Card Ignatius Suharyo said that he expected “the senior bishops to pass the baton to the younger ones, since most of us are now over 70.”
Archbishop Bunjamin is 54 years old. After attending the minor seminary in Mertoyudan, he earned a doctorate in theology and served as prior of the Order of the Holy Cross (OSC) before becoming bishop of Bandung.
Archbishop Syukur, on the other hand, is 60. Head of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) in Indonesia, he also worked at the OFM’s Generalate in Rome.
Both prelates are from West Java.
Archbishop Bunjamin was KWI’s secretary general for the past eight years. During this time, he showed his ability to handle even the toughest situations for the local Church, including the resignations of two bishops, linked to various scandals.
For the second time in the history of the Indonesian Catholic Church, the KWI’s annual meeting was held at the Bumi Silih Asih Convention Hall, which is owned by the Diocese of Bandung, because the main headquarters in Menteng, central Jakarta, is still under construction.
The meeting will end with a Mass giving all the bishops the opportunity to meet the local community.
[*] Konferensi Waligereja Indonesia.
