Suhariyo: the cardinal who preaches ‘compassion’ to Indonesia

Archbishop of Jakarta since 2010, now approaching 75, he welcomed Pope Francis to the country on his trip a few months ago. Among the initiatives he has promoted is a diocesan fund that supports the sick and bereaved families: ‘Concrete moments in which to show ourselves to be brothers and sisters to all.’

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - For Indonesian Catholics, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo is an example of a local Church leader who has brought progress to his archdiocese.

Now approaching 75, which he will turn in July, he has been archbishop of Jakarta since 2010, after previously serving as archbishop of Semarang, his home Church in Central Java province, from 1997 to 2010.

For two terms, from 2012 to 2022, he also served as president of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference (KWI). For many years a professor of biblical theology at Sanata Dharma University in Yogyakarta, he trained generations of priests at St. Paul's Major Seminary in Yogyakarta.

He was created cardinal by Pope Francis in the 2019 consistory and last September – after a two-year postponement due to the pandemic – he had the joy of welcoming the pontiff on his historic apostolic journey to Jakarta, marked by important moments of dialogue with the Muslim community but also by words of encouragement to the local Catholic community.

Through his ministry in recent years, Cardinal Suharyo has helped the community of Gaicarta to grow, not only in the internal organisation of the diocesan curia, but above all in the way Catholics live their Christian faith, so that their presence in society becomes a channel of grace for others.

There is one word in particular that recurs frequently in his teaching: the term ‘compassion’. This is a dimension of Christian life with which many Indonesian Catholics were not very familiar at first, but which the archbishop promoted with a pastoral programme entitled ‘Faith, fraternity, compassion’, proposed some time ago as the annual theme for the archdiocese.

‘How can we claim to be faithful to the Gospel,‘ he often said in his homilies, “if curses and hostility towards others come out of our mouths?” It is no coincidence, then, that this has also become the motto chosen by the Indonesian Church for Pope Francis’ apostolic journey.

This commitment is also nourished by very concrete gestures. For example, the Berkhat Santo Yusup (BKSY) programme has been active in the Archdiocese of Jakarta for 12 years, focusing in particular on closeness to the families of the sick and the experience of death.

For a small annual contribution of 80,000 Indonesian rupees (), members receive 100,000 Indonesian rupees () per day when they are hospitalised and their families receive 10 million Indonesian rupees (7) upon their death.

‘This financial aid programme is a really large sum of money for any family, given that funeral ceremonies are also very expensive,’ explains Th. Wiryawan, financial manager of BKSY. ’It is an opportunity for the faithful to practise compassion. The Church must stand by the sick and dying, ensuring that their human dignity is respected and honoured,’ Kasyanto, BKSY's operations manager, told AsiaNews.

Again in recent days, addressing workers and Catholics at St. Peter's Station in the parish of Karawaci, Tangerang, on 1 May, Cardinal Suharyo praised Catholic initiatives that translate compassion into social action.

‘I like to call these initiatives new paths,’ he said, ‘in which the principle of subsidiarity is put into practice. If small groups or even individuals in the Catholic community can design social programmes, the archdiocese will support them and help find the resources to make these programmes work and last.’

Suharyo also strongly supports the YKCA Foundation (Yayasan Karsa Cipta Asa) in raising funds for scholarships for young Catholics from remote areas.

Through the Lembaga Daya Dharma (LDD), the diocesan humanitarian agency, the cardinal constantly encourages parish pastoral workers to develop social solidarity programmes, many of which are now actively implemented throughout the Archdiocese of Jakarta.