ASIA/INDONESIA - Mission, dialogue, peace: diocesan priests in National Assembly

Thursday, 25 September 2014

Ambon (Agenzia Fides) - The Indonesian Union of diocesan priests will hold its 11th National Assembly in Ambon, in the Moluccas, from 1 to 8 October 2014. As reported to Fides by Fr. Dominikus Gusti Bagus Kusumawanta, President of the Union, the meeting will bring together 165 priests from 37 dioceses in the country, who will discuss the theme "Mission, dialogue and peace".
The meeting aims to develop and share their thoughts, spiritual and fraternal activities of the various local Churches. The main goal, explains Fr. Kusumawanta, is to improve the fraternity of diocesan priests at a national level, with the idea of providing a service and an authentically evangelical apostolate in society.
Furthermore, to open the path to build relationships with diocesan priests in Asia, the Union has also invited the diocesan priests of East Timor, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. Among the church leaders invited, there are also all the Indonesian Bishops, the Apostolic Nuncio in Indonesia, Antonio Guido Filipazzi, who will give a speech, the International President of the Apostolic Union of the Clergy (UAC), Mgr. Giuseppe Magrin. The Bishop of Amboina, His Exc. Mgr. Petrus Canisius Mandagi MSC, a Protestant Pastor, the head of the Ulema Council of the Moluccas and the governor of the Moluccas will also intervene.
Bishop Mandagi and the local clergy were active instruments of peace during the conflict between Christians and Muslims who crossed the Moluccas in 1999-2002, during which more than 5,000 people were killed and more than 500,000 were displaced. The Indonesian Union of diocesans will also elect the new leadership for 2014-2017. (PCP-PA) (Agenzia Fides 25/09/2014)


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