JAKARTA (UCAN): Catholics in Indonesia were shocked when Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur of Bogor, a Franciscan and secretary general of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, asked not to be made a cardinal at the upcoming consistory on December 7. Pope Francis accepted the request Vatican News reported on October 22.
Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office, explained that The 68-year-old Bishop Syukur expressed his wish to continue his personal growth “in service to the Church and the people of God,” a choice that stems from a desire to further deepen his priestly life. This brings the number of cardinals elevated to 20.
Meanwhile, Bishop Antonius Subianto Bunjamin of Bandung, president of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, said, “The news is shocking.”
Bishop Bunjamin, who was attending the Synod of Bishops on Synodality at the Vatican, said, “We respect Bishop Paskalis’ decision. He knows what is best for himself, his diocese, and the Church in general. Let’s pray.”
He added, “The only person who can best explain is Bishop Paskalis himself.”
Father Antonius Purnama Sastrawijaya, superior general of the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Holy Family, said, “We are concerned. This news is very shocking. There may be a fundamental reason conveyed by Bishop Paskalis” [leading] the pope to grant his request.
Catholics in Indonesia rejoiced when Bishop Syukur was named a cardinal on October 6. He would have been the first cardinal in Indonesia to come from outside Java and his naming was considered a recognition of the diversity of the Catholic community in Indonesia.
However, some expressed disappointment with the appointment as they felt that Bishop Syukur had not taken a firm stance against cases of sexual violence in his diocese. In recent years, the Diocese of Bogor has had two cases of sexual violence that were brought to court.
Made Supriatma, a Catholic research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said, “If someone unable to protect children can become a cardinal, what can be expected…?”
Bishop Syukur was Franciscan provincial of Indonesia twice since 2001. During his second term, in 2009, he was appointed a member of the Franciscans’ Definitor-General for the Asia and Oceania region.
In 2013, he was appointed bishop of Bogor, replacing another Franciscan, Bishop Michael Cosmas Angkur.
Indonesia has had three cardinals, all of whom are of Javanese descent.
The first, Justinus Cardinal Darmojuwono, died in 1967. The other two are 89-year-old Julius Riyadi Cardinal Darmaatmadja, and 74-year-old Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Cardinal Hardjoatmodjo of the Archdiocese of Jakarta.
