Catholic Church in 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. 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.
Catholic Church in Indonesia | |
|---|---|
| Indonesian: Gereja Katolik di Indonesia | |
| Type | National polity |
| Classification | Catholic |
| Orientation | Christianity |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Theology | Catholic theology |
| Governance | Bishops' Conference of Indonesia |
| Pope | Francis |
| Archbishop | Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo |
| Apostolic Nuncio | Piero Pioppo |
| Region | Indonesia |
| Language | Indonesian, Latin |
| Headquarters | Jakarta |
| Origin | 1534 Maluku Islands, Portuguese Moluccas |
| Official website | Official KWI webpage |
| Part of a series on the |
| Catholic Church by country |
|---|
| Catholicism portal |
The Church is organised into 10 archdioceses and 27 dioceses, all of which are members of the Indonesian Catholic Bishops Conference (KWI) led by Archbishop Ignatius Cardinal Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo. 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 is the only province in Indonesia where Catholicism is the majority, around 55% of its population. There are also significant Catholic populations in North Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Papua, South Sulawesi, Maluku and Central Java, especially in and around Muntilan.