(Vatican Radio) As the Church in Indonesia prepares to host a series of major national and international events later this year and in 2017, we are spending time with Church leaders there, to learn more about the challenges they face and the hope they have for the success of their mission in their ethnically, culturally, and religiously diverse country.Vatican Radio’s Stefano Leszczynski spoke recently with Bishop Antonius Franciskus Subianto Bunyamin, O.S.C., of Bandung diocese in West Java, who is also the General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia. Bishop Bunyamin told us relations of the 100 thousand Catholic faithful with the Muslim majority population of his diocese are good, though not without difficulties, especially regarding church-building plans and projects. “In general, we don’t have any serious problem with Muslim groups,” he said, “in general they are peaceful and we have good relationships with them – bu...
(Vatican Radio) As the Church in Indonesia prepares to host a series of major national and international events later this year and in 2017, we are spending time with Church leaders there, to learn more about the challenges they face and the hope they have for the success of their mission in their ethnically, culturally, and religiously diverse country.
Vatican Radio’s Stefano Leszczynski spoke recently with Bishop Antonius Franciskus Subianto Bunyamin, O.S.C., of Bandung diocese in West Java, who is also the General Secretary of the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia. Bishop Bunyamin told us relations of the 100 thousand Catholic faithful with the Muslim majority population of his diocese are good, though not without difficulties, especially regarding church-building plans and projects. “In general, we don’t have any serious problem with Muslim groups,” he said, “in general they are peaceful and we have good relationships with them – but there are always groups, or some people, who are very fanatic[al], trying to influence [people] around area[s] where [a] church will be built.” He explained that this influence is not always the most friendly. “Some of them give strong warn[ing]: ‘if you give a signature to allow the church, you will get problems in our society’,” he offered by way of illustration.
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Nevertheless, Bishop Bunyamin is confident that careful and effective communication is the key to continued peaceful coexistence and even improved rapports. “We have to communicate: we don’t want to force [the issue], even though we have a right to establish a building,” he said, “because, what we want is a peaceful situation,” adding, “my [long-term] concern is building peaceful relations,” with the broader community.
In the meantime, diocesan preparations are underway for the celebration of Indonesian Youth Day, scheduled for October 1-6, 2016, in Manado, and for Asian Youth Day, from July 30 – August 6, 2017, in Yogyakarta. “This very huge, wonderful meeting, Asian Youth Day,” he said, “is not a kind of ‘show of force’: but it is [rather] a means, a way to dialogue,” with the young people of Asia.
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee speaks during the signing of the ELVIS Act to Protect Voice & Likeness in Age of AI event at Robert's Western World on March 21, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. / Credit: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Human Artistry CampaignWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 18, 2024 / 14:15 pm (CNA).The first English-language translation of the Bible in the United States will become an "official state book" in Tennessee on July 1.Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, signed a bill on Tuesday that names the Aitken Bible and nine other texts as official state books in the Tennessee Blue Book (an official manual on the state government). This is the first time Tennessee has formally recognized any official state books.The Bible translation was published by Philadelphia printer Robert Aitken in 1782 and received an official endorsement from Congress. The American Revolution, which began in 1776, halted trade with Great Britain and cut off the supply of Bibles, which prompte...
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