Julius Darmaatmadja to be Indonesia's 2nd cardinal

Julius Darmaatmadja to be Indonesia's 2nd cardinal

SEMARANG, Central Java (JP): Pope John Paul II has named
Archbishop Julius Darmaatmadja, from the Semarang Diocese, as
Indonesia's second cardinal and will install him on Nov. 27, in a
ceremony at the Vatican.

Darmaatmadja, 60, was one of the 30 new cardinals from 24
countries named by the Pope on Sunday.

The church received news about the appointment of Darmaatmadja
as new cardinal on Sunday at 6 p.m., said Father Ignatius Sumaryo
of the Semarang diocese.

Indonesia's first cardinal, Justinus Darmojuwono, also from
the Semarang Diocese, died on Feb. 3.

Darmaatmadja is head of the Indonesian Bishops Conference and
is bishop for the Catholic congregation in the Armed Forces.

The son of a devout Catholic family, Darmaatmadja, also known
as Rijadi, was born in Muntilan, Central Java.

After graduating from Muntilan's Kanisius Catholic Junior High
School, he continued his studies at the Mertoyudan Minor Seminary
in Magelang and then at the Institute for Novices in Girisonta,
Ungaran, Central Java.

He studied philosophy at the Athenaeum Major Seminary of
Poona, India, where he earned his Masters degree before studying
at the Theology Institute in Kentungan, Yogyakarta. He also
taught at the Mertoyudan Seminary. He was later appointed as
rector of the seminary.

Darmaatmadja became a priest in 1969, and was installed as
archbishop in 1983.

Spokesperson for the Indonesian Bishop Conference, Alfons S.
Suhardi, said the appointment of Darmaatmadja as new cardinal was
a great honor, not only for the Catholic congregation in the
country, but for the state and nation as well. This shows the
Pope acknowledges and respects the Catholic church in Indonesia
and the relationship between the church, the state and the
nation.

Indonesia has the largest Moslem population in the world. The
Catholic congregation in Indonesia constitutes 3.6 percent of the
185 million population. The other minority religions are
Protestantism, Buddhism and Hinduism. (har/sim)