New bishop of Tanjungkarang to reach out to the poor
Newly ordained Mgr Vinsensius "Avin" Setiawan Triatmojo, who is set to lead the diocese located in Lampung province, thanks his parents who passed Christian values on to him but also his Muslim relatives. He hails from “a Pancasila village”.
Tanjungkarang (AsiaNews) – Fr Vinsensius Setiawan Triatmojo was ordained yesterday as the new bishop of the Diocese of Tanjungkarang, Lampung province.
He succeeds Mgr Yohanes Harun Yuwono, who was chosen to lead the Archdiocese of Palembang, on the island of Sumatra, in lieu of Mgr Aloysius Sudarso, who retired due to age.
Raised in a very pious Catholic family in Tanjung Sakti, Bengkulu province (Sumatra), 52-year-old bishop, affectionately known as Avin, became a priest in the Archdiocese of Palembang in 2000.
Speaking to AsiaNews on the eve of his episcopal ordination, he said that he sees the pastoral mission of the Church in Tanjungkarang as an “option for the poor".
"The Church’s presence in society is strong,” he explained. “She is expected to do good things, especially for the benefit of the most neglected and unfortunate among us, which we must implement quickly to put this vision into practice.”
In his first public address after ordination, Bishop “Avin” thanked his parents and family for the Christian values they passed on to him, including the many family members on his mother's side who are Muslims.
"I really love them and they also love my family,” he said, “like those who called my late mother 'Mom'. My home village, Tanjung Sakti, in Bengkulu province, is known as the Pancasila[*] village.”
The prelate chose In verbo tuo laxabo rete (At your word I will let down the net) as the motto for his episcopal ministry.
"Through these words,” he told the faithful, “I want to express the hope that the Church’s presence in the diocese will spread nets of goodness and benefits to everyone.”
(Fr Ferry Sutrisna Widjaja contributed to this article)
[*] Pancasila is Indonesia’s state ideology upon which its modern identity has been built.
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