ASIA/INDONESIA - In Nusantara, the new Indonesian capital, a Basilica dedicated to St. Francis Xavier

Jakarta (Agenzia Fides) - In the new Indonesian capital, "Nusantara", in Indonesian Borneo, a Catholic basilica dedicated to St. Francis Xavier will be built. This is what the "General Direction for the orientation of the Catholic community" within the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs tells Fides. It is one of the six General Directions (one for each of the six religions recognized by the State: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism) in which the Ministry is divided, established in the Indonesian government after independence. The Direction deals, in particular, with all matters relating to relations between the State and the Catholic Church, also dealing with the construction of Catholic schools and churches and all related regulations. According to the project that Fides has already learned of, the first stone of the Cathedral Basilica will be laid in October, which will also include a building for the seat of the bishopric, pastoral facilities and the necessary offices. The choice of the name of St. Francis Xavier was made in agreement with the Indonesian Bishops' Conference (KWI), to pay tribute to the Jesuit missionary who on February 14, 1546 landed on the Moluccas Islands (part of Indonesia) and began his mission in the Indonesian archipelago. In the diocese of Amboina (in the city of Ambon, capital of the Moluccas) there is a cathedral and a monument dedicated to the saint, who will now also be remembered in the new "capital of the future".

"Nusantara" will be the new capital of Indonesia: the mega project promoted by the current Indonesian president Joko Widodo - who in autumn will hand over the baton to the newly elected Prabowo Subianto - is progressing and is on the way to becoming operational. President Widodo has spent his first night at the newly completed eagle-shaped presidential palace, the “Garuda Palace,” and is scheduled to hold official meetings at the palace today, July 29. “Jokowi,” as the president is known, appears to be doing his best to finish state-building work in Nusantara before his resignation in October, despite some obstacles such as a lack of foreign investment and land-related issues.

The Nusantara infrastructure project, consists, according to government estimates, of an economic commitment of 32 billion dollars. The President is expected to celebrate Independence Day at the Nusantara palace on August 17, and to that end, he has accelerated the work schedule of presidential staff in Nusantara in recent weeks. In recent months, Jokowi has given the green light to the construction of schools, offices and private complexes of various kinds, and has promised foreign investment, but so far, observers say, these have not come. President-elect Prabowo Subianto has promised to continue the development of Nusantara after his inauguration.

The Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs, especially its Direction for the Catholic Community, is responsible for the design of the basilica, which will be built under the direction and executive responsibility of the Ministry of Public Works, while the interiors, decoration and liturgical furnishings will be handled by the Direction for the Catholic Community, in cooperation with the Indonesian Church. It should be noted that, in the urban planning, the basilica will be built a short distance from the great National Mosque, following the model of Jakarta, where the Catholic cathedral of "Our Lady of the Assumption" and the Istiqlal mosque rise opposite each other, on the same street, to symbolize religious harmony (see Fides, 23/7/2024). (PA) (Agenzia Fides, 29/7/2024)

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