ASIA/INDONESIA - In one of the poorest islands, around 70% of the inhabitants are Catholic

Maumere (Agenzia Fides) - "Flores is considered one of the poorest islands in Indonesia, but it stands out for a particular wealth which is that of having the majority of its inhabitants Catholic, around 70%". Father Luigi Galvani, missionary of the Order of Ministers of the Infirm (Camillians), writes this to Fides. “The numerous and ever new religious and priestly vocations are present today not only in the country, but also as missionaries in different countries around the world”, explains the missionary, a pioneer in the diocese of Maumere. In just over thirteen years, he continues, the Camillian Missionaries are present in three dioceses with four seminaries, two social centers where they coordinate a nutritional program for 160 poor children, remote support for around twenty deserving students, a project of "special houses" to free the mentally ill from oppressive situations, and finally a modest project for the production of mineral water and "Saint Camillus" ice cream. The Ministers of the Infirm arrived in 2009 and settled in Maumere, on the island of Flores. Currently, the Camillian mission has 11 priests and 3 local deacons, 25 young religious and some 70 seminarians who take philosophy courses. Among them, two are from Pakistan and two from East Timor. The island has an area of approximately 13,000 square kilometers and a population of approximately one and a half million inhabitants who live mainly from fishing and agricultural resources: rice, coconuts and bananas. (LG/AP) (Agenzia Fides, 13/11/2023)

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