The Bishops' Conference of Indonesia (BCI; Indonesian: KWI/Konferensi Waligereja Indonesia) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic bishops of Indonesia. It was constituted in November 1955, in

Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Provinces of Indonesia, Indonesian province of East Java and the List of Indonesian cities by population, second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. L ...

with the name MAWI. KWI is a part of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences.

History

Every bishop, since his ordination, in itself a part of the ranks of the world's Bishops ( Collegium Episcopale ) and together with the bishops all over the world, under the leadership of the Pope, was responsible for the entire Catholic Church. The bishops in the country together to form a partnership organization called Conference of Bishops. Inside this organization they work to negotiate and decide something about Catholics across the country. A bishop is the head of the local church called the diocese. By doing so he is also called ''Waligereja''. Because of that so the Indonesian Bishops Conference called the Supreme Council of Indonesian Bishops (MAWI) which is then changed to the Bishops' Conference of Indonesia (KWI). From 1807 until 1902 the Catholic Church throughout the country under the leadership of a Prefect/

apostolic vicar Apostolic may refer to: The Apostles An Apostle meaning one sent on a mission: *The Twelve Apostles of Jesus, or something related to them, such as the Church of the Holy Apostles *Apostolic succession, the doctrine connecting the Christian Churc ...

based in

Batavia Batavia may refer to: Historical places * Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands * Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...

. Although some areas since 1902 has been separated from the Apostolic Vicariate of Batavia (1902: Maluku -

Irian Jaya New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torres ...

, 1905:

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...

, 1911:

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

, 1913/1914:

Nusa Tenggara The Lesser Sunda Islands or nowadays known as Nusa Tenggara Islands ( id, Kepulauan Nusa Tenggara, formerly ) are an archipelago in Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up t ...

, and 1919:

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

), but recognition of the Dutch colonial government to the many Catholic Church leaders in the archipelago just happened in 1913. Then all Vicar Apostolic Prefect feel that it was necessary to negotiate together to achieve unity in the government attitude towards many issues, but especially relating to freedom for the mission to enter all areas and is also associated with the position of Catholic education. The meeting occurred on the occasion of the ordination of new bishop. A. Van Velsen as Vicar Apostolic of Jakarta (May 13, 1924) at the

Jakarta Cathedral Jakarta Cathedral ( id, Gereja Katedral Jakarta, nl, Kathedraal van Jakarta) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Jakarta, Indonesia, which is also the seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop of Jakarta, currently Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatm ...

. Were present at that time : Mgr. P. Boss, O.F.M.Cap . (Vicar Apostolic of

Kalimantan Kalimantan () is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area. The non-Indonesian parts of Borneo are Brunei and East Malaysia. In Indonesia, "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo. In 2019, ...

), Mgr. A. Verstraelen, S.V.D. (Vicar Apostolic of Nusa Tenggara), Mgr. Y. Aerts,

M.S.C. The Marianites of Holy Cross (MSC) is a Catholic Church, Catholic Religious congregation, congregation of nuns, founded in Le Mans, France, in 1841, by Fr Basil Moreau. It was founded as a third distinct society within the Congregation of Holy Cros ...

(Vicar Apostolic of Maluku - Irian Jaya), Mgr. L.T.M. Brans, O.F.M.Cap. (Prefect Apostolic of Padang) and Mgr. G. Panis, M.S.C. (Prefect Apostolic of Sulawesi). On September 15 - May 16, 1924 was held the first meeting of Bishops of Nusantara in Jakarta Cathedral. The trial was presided over by Mgr. A. Van Velsen and was attended by the bishops mentioned above plus the two pastors : AHG Brocker, M.S.C. and S.Th. van Hoof, S.J. as a resource. The second hearing was held on August 31 to September 6, 1925, also in Jakarta, under the leadership of

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X ( it, Pio X; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing modernist interpretations of C ...

a messenger named Mgr. B.Y. Gijlswijk, OP, an Apostolic Delegatus in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. Unless the bishops mentioned above, the trial participants has increased by Mgr. H. Smeetes, S.C.J. (Prefect Apostolic of Bengkulu), Mgr. Th. Herkenrat, S.S.C.C. (Prefect Apostolic of

Pangkalpinang Pangkal Pinang is the capital and largest city of the Bangka Belitung Islands Province in Indonesia. It is located on Bangka Island's east coast, the city is divided into seven districts (''kecamatan'') and has 42 wards (''kelurahan''). It cov ...

). Also present Th Fr. De Backere, C.M., Fr Cl. Van de Pas, O.Carm., Father Y. Hoederechts, S.J., being Father H. Jansen, S.J. and Fr Y. Van Baal, S.J. served as secretary. In this trial it was decided to hold a hearing every five years. The next sessions are: June 4 to 11, 1929 at Muntilan (attended by 10 bishops), 19 to 27 September 1934 at Girisonta (also attended by a priest from Centraal Missie Bureau or the Office of Catholic Bishops), 16-22 August 1939 also in Girisonta (15 bishops and three people from the CMB as well as an Apostolic Delegatus for Australia: Mgr . Y. Panico). Because of the war, the meeting of the Indonesian Bishops can not be held. On 26-30 April 1954 the Bishops' all over Java hold a meeting in Lawang. There expressed a desire to hold a new conference for all bishops. A draft constitution prepared by Mgr. W. Schoemaker M.S.C. (Bishop Purwokerto) subsequently approved by

Internuncio An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international org ...

in Jakarta on January 31, 1955. Dated March 14, 1955 Mgr. W. Schoemaker M.S.C. appointed by the Internuncio as the chairman of MAWI for the next meeting. The meeting can be held on the 25th of October to 2 November 1955 in Bruderan, Surabaya and was attended by 22 bishops (of 25 bishops there). This is the meeting of the Conference of Bishops from all over Indonesia, the first after the war. One important decision is that henceforth the Indonesian bishops' conference is called the Supreme Council of Bishops of Indonesia, abbreviated MAWI, a translation of the ''Raad van Kerkvoogden''. The date is regarded as the founding date MAWI. In addition to the plenary session, it was decided to set up a small meeting that remains, to carry out daily tasks, which is called the Central Indonesian Bishops' Council, abbreviated DEWAP, which is chaired by Mgr.

Albertus Soegijapranata Albertus Soegijapranata, SJ (Indonesian: ; Perfected Spelling: Albertus Sugiyapranata; 25 November 1896 – 22 July 1963), better known by his birth name Soegija, was a Jesuit priest who became the Apostolic Vicar of Semarang and later ...

, S.J. (Vicar Apostolic of Semarang). To improve the performance of its duties, established various " Committee "/PWI (Indonesian Bishops ' Committee) is a member of DEWAP (decided that DEWAP convene once a year) and that addressing one service area: PWI (Indonesian Bishops' Committee) Social, Catholic and Apostolic Action PWI layman, PWI Seminary and University, Education and Religion PWI, PWI catechesis People and Propagation of the Faith, PWI Press and Propaganda. It was decided that DEWAP convene once a year . After Indonesia's independence the number of Catholics Indonesia increased considerably. So rapid development of Indonesian Catholic congregation, so that in a meeting in Girisonta, Ungaran,

Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in t ...

(9 to 16 May 1960) Indonesian bishops wrote a letter to

Pope John XXIII Pope John XXIII ( la, Ioannes XXIII; it, Giovanni XXIII; born Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, ; 25 November 18813 June 1963) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 28 October 1958 until his death in June 19 ...

, pleading for him to officially inaugurate the establishment of the Church hierarchy in Indonesia. Then by decree ''" Quod Christus Adorandus "'' dated January 3, 1961 Pope John XXIII inaugurated the establishment of the Church hierarchy in Indonesia. Since 1987, the Supreme Council of Indonesian Bishops (MAWI) renamed the Bishops' Conference of Indonesia (KWI). KWI Leadership held by the Presidium of KWI. In the General Secretariat assembled all officials who helped facilitate the work of the Indonesian bishops' pastoral.

Objectives

KWI is a Federation of The Catholic Bishops, of Indonesia, which aims to promote unity and cooperation in their pastoral duties to lead Catholics in Indonesia. KWI is not "above" or supervises bishops, each bishop remains autonomous. KWI does not have branches in the area.

Members

Until now the number of members is 38, the number of dioceses in Indonesia 37, each bishop lead one diocese, except the Diocese of Ambon that having two Bishops, the

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

and the Auxiliary Bishop. All bishops in Indonesia are members of KWI, except for the retired bishops.

Organization Structure

Board

#''President :'' Mgr.

Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo Ignatius Cardinal Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo (born 9 July 1950) is an Indonesian prelate of the Catholic Church. He has been Archbishop of Jakarta since 2010, after serving as Archbishop of Semarang from 1997 to 2009. He is commonly known as Archbish ...

#''Vice President :'' Mgr. Leo Laba Ladjar, OFM #''Vice President II :'' Mgr. Petrus Turang #''Secretary General :'' Mgr. Antonius Subianto Bunyamin, OSC #''Treasurer :'' Mgr. Silvester San #''Members '' ##Mgr. Aloysius Sudarso SCJ ##Mgr. Pius Riana Prapdi ##Mgr. Petrus Boddeng Timang ##Mgr. P.C. Mandagi MSC

Chairmen of the Commissions

#''Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue :'' Mgr. P.C.Mandagi MSC #''Commission for Mission :'' Mgr. Edmund Woga CSSR #''Commission for Catechetics :'' Mgr. John Liku Ada #''Commission for Justice and Peace :'' Mgr. Agustinus Agus #''Commission for Family :'' Mgr. Frans Kopong Kung #''Commission for the Luity :'' Mgr.

Yustinus Harjosusanto Yustinus Harjosusanto M.S.F. (born 5 September 1953) is an Indonesian Roman Catholic archbishop. Biography On 6 January 1982 Harjosusanto was ordained a priest of the congregation of the Missionaries of the Holy Family. On 9 January 2002, Harj ...

MSF #''Commission for Social Communications :'' Mgr. Petrus Turang #''Commission for Liturgy :'' Mgr. Aloysius Sutrisnaatmaka MSF #''Commission for Migrants and Itinerant :'' Mgr. Agustinus Agus #''Commission for Education :'' Mgr. Martinus Dogma Situmorang #''Commission for Socio Economic Development :'' Mgr. Hilarion Datus Lega #''Commission for Seminary :'' Mgr. Dominikus Saku #''Commission for Youth :'' Mgr. John Philipus Saklil #''Commission for Theology :'' Mgr. Petrus Boddeng Timang

Delegates

#''Delegate for Catholic Health Services :'' Mgr. Hubertus Leteng #''Delegate for The Catholic Bible Institution :'' Mgr. Vincentius Sensi Potokota #''Head of Inter-diocese Solidarity Fund (DSAK) :'' Mgr.H.Datus Lega #''KWI representative for BKBLII :'' Mgr.

Hilarius Moa Nurak Hilarius Moa Nurak (21 February 1943 – 29 April 2016) was a Roman Catholic bishop. Ordained to the priesthood in 1972, Moa Nurak served as bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pangkal Pinang, Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Re ...

SVD #''Moderator of Gender Secretariat and Empowerment of Women :'' Mgr. Vincentius Sutikno

Monetary Council

#''Chairman :'' Mgr. Silvester San #''Member I :'' Mgr. H.Datus Lega #''Member II :'' Mgr. Giulio Mencuccini OP

Archdioceses and Dioceses

Region of Sumatra

Ecclesiastical Province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United State ...

of Medan * Archdiocese of Medan ** Diocese of Sibolga ** Diocese of Padang

of Palembang * Archdiocese of Palembang ** Diocese of Pangkal-Pinang ** Diocese of Tanjungkarang

Region of Java

of Jakarta * Archdiocese of Jakarta **

Diocese of Bandung The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bandung ( la, Bandungen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Bandung in the ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan of Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jakarta, Jakarta on Java, in Indonesia. Its cathedral epi ...

** Diocese of Bogor

of Semarang * Archdiocese of Semarang ** Diocese of Malang ** Diocese of Purwokerto ** Diocese of Surabaya

Region of Kalimantan

of Pontianak * Archdiocese of Pontianak **

Diocese of Ketapang The Roman Catholic Diocese of Ketapang ( la, Ketapangen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Ketapang in the Ecclesiastical province of Pontianak in Indonesia. History * 14 June 1954: Established as the Apostolic Prefecture of Ketapang fro ...

** Diocese of Sanggau ** Diocese of Sintang

of Samarinda *

Archdiocese of Samarinda The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Samarinda ( la, Samarindaën(sis)) is an archdiocese located in the city of Samarinda in Indonesia. In addition to the cathedral, St. Mary's in Samarinda, there are two other parishes serving the faithful: St. ...

Diocese of Banjarmasin The Roman Catholic Diocese of Banjarmasin ( la, Bangiarmasin(a)) is a diocese located in the city of Banjarmasin in the Ecclesiastical province of Samarinda in Indonesia. History * May 21, 1938: Established as Apostolic Prefecture of Bandjarmasi ...

** Diocese of Palangkaraya ** Diocese of Tanjung Selor

Ecclesiastical Province of Makassar-Amboina-Manado (MAM)

of Makassar * Archdiocese of Makassar **

Diocese of Amboina The Roman Catholic Diocese of Amboina ( la, Amboinaën(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Amboina in the Ecclesiastical province of Makassar in Indonesia. History * December 22, 1902: Established as the Apostolic Prefecture of Dutch New G ...

Diocese of Manado The Roman Catholic Diocese of Manado ( la, Manadoën(sis)) is a Latin rite suffragan diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Makassar on Sulawesi island (formerly Celebes) in Indonesia, yet depends on the mission ...

Region of Nusa Tenggara

of Ende *

Archdiocese of Ende The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ende ( la, Archidioecesis Endehena) is a Latin metropolitan archdiocese in the Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia. Its cathedral is the Christ the King Cathedral in the city of Ende, Nusa Tenggara Timur. Histo ...

** Diocese of Denpasar ** Diocese of Larantuka ** Diocese of Maumere ** Diocese of Ruteng

of Kupang * Archdiocese of Kupang **

Diocese of Atambua The Roman Catholic Diocese of Atambua ( la, Atambuen(sis)) is a Latin suffragan diocese in the Ecclesiastical province of the Metropolitan of Kupang, in Indonesia, yet still dependent of the Roman Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. ...

** Diocese of Weetebula

Ecclesiastical Province of Papua

of Merauke * Archdiocese of Merauke ** Diocese of Agats **

Diocese of Jayapura The Roman Catholic Diocese of Jayapura ( la, Iayapuraen(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Jayapura in the Ecclesiastical province of Merauke in Indonesia. History * May 12, 1949: Established as the Apostolic Prefecture of Hollandia from ...

** Diocese of Manokwari-Sorong ** Diocese of Timika

References

{{Portal, Catholicism, Indonesia

External links

Official Website Episcopal conferences, Indonesia Catholic Church in Indonesia