SW News: In the Muslim-majority nation of Indonesia, the Catholic Episcopate will now be led by Bishop Antonius Subjanto Bunjamin of Bandung. The 54-year-old prelate was elected the new president of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference and the successor of Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo.

Archbishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur was elected as the new general secretary of the episcopate. He is the shepherd of the diocese of Bogor. The election is viewed as a renewal within the vibrant Church in the country with younger prelates assuming higher offices of power. In fact, Cardinal Suharyo himself had hinted that “the senior bishops should pass the baton to the younger ones since most of them are over 70”. He made this comment during the consecration of Bishop Valentinus Saeng for the diocese of Sanggau.

The new head of the episcopate of Indonesia completed his minor seminary studies at Mertoyudan and he has a doctorate in theology. He also served as the Prior of the Order of the Holy Cross before being selected as the new bishop of Bandung.

On the other hand, Bishop Syukur, 60, was the former Provincial of the Order of Friars Minor in the country. He also served in the Generalate of the congregation in Rome. The duo hail from West Java.

During his eight-year stint as the general secretary of the Indonesian episcopate, Bishop Bunjamin exhibited great prowess in handling the most dexterous tasks for the Church such as the resignations of two bishops following scandals.

The annual bishops' conference was held for the second time in the Bumi Silih Asih Convention Hall of the Diocese of Bandung. This was because the headquarters of the episcopate in Menteng in central Jakarta is still under construction.

The conference of the bishops will come to an end with Holy Mass after which they will interact with local believers.