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)