Catholic Church in Indonesia


Catholic Church in Indonesia
Gereja Katolik di Indonesia
TypeNational polity
ClassificationCatholic
OrientationChristianity
ScriptureBible
TheologyCatholic theology
GovernanceBishops' Conference of Indonesia
PopeFrancis
PresidentAntonius Subianto Bunjamin
Apostolic NuncioPiero Pioppo
RegionIndonesia
LanguageIndonesian, Latin
HeadquartersJakarta
Origin1534[1]
Maluku Islands, Portuguese Moluccas
Official websiteOfficial KWI webpage
Catholics in each regency of Indonesia

The Catholic Church in Indonesia (Indonesian: Gereja Katolik di Indonesia) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the pope in Rome. Catholicism is one of the six approved religions in Indonesia, the others being Islam, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. According to official figures, Catholics made up 3.12 percent of the population in 2018.[2] The number of Catholics is, therefore, more than 8.3 million. Indonesia is primarily Muslim, but Catholicism is the dominant faith in certain areas of the country.

The Catholic cathedral in Ende, Flores. Most Flores inhabitants are Catholics.
Saint Joseph's Catholic Church, Denpasar, Bali
Principal and students of St. Louis High School, Surabaya at the chapel

The Church is organised into one military ordinariate, 10 archdioceses and 28 dioceses, all of which are members of the Indonesian Catholic Bishops Conference (KWI)[3] led now by Bishop Antonius Subianto Bunjamin from the Diocese of Bandung. There are several Catholic religious institutes active in the country including the Jesuits, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) and the Divine Word Missionaries.

Catholicism in Indonesia began with the arrival of the Portuguese in search of the Spice Islands in the 16th century. Currently, East Nusa Tenggara and South Papua province in Indonesia are the only places where Catholicism is the dominant faith of the population, with around 55% and 50% of its population respectively.[4] There are also significant Catholic populations in North Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Papua, South Sulawesi, Maluku and Central Java, especially in and around Muntilan.

  1. ^ Karel Steenbrink (2007). Catholics in Indonesia, 1808-1942 A Documented History. Volume 2: The Spectacular Growth of a Self Confident Minority, 1903-1942. Brill. p. 1. ISBN 9789004254022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  2. ^ "Statistik Umat Menurut Agama di Indonesia" (in Indonesian). Ministry of Religious Affairs. 15 May 2018. Archived from the original on 3 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Catholic Church in Republic of Indonesia (Indonesia)". www.gcatholic.org. Retrieved 2019-03-17.
  4. ^ Statistics Indonesia [Central Statistics Bureau] (2012), Statistik Indonesia, Statistical yearbook of Indonesia 2011, Jakarta.

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