Padang (Fides Service) - " For Indonesia's Catholics the Eucharist is a necessity and a precious gift, which not everyone has the joy of celebrating every Sunday, due to the size of the parishes which often include more than one island" Fides Service was told by Bishop Martinus Situmorang, OFM Cap of Padang in Sumatra, one of the largest Islands. "We need continually to deepen our understanding of the Mystery of the Eucharist through catechesis - said the Bishop - and so we are truly grateful to the Holy Father for this new encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia".
Bishop Situmorang says "Most Catholics in Indonesia live in villages far from the nearest church and this means they cannot attend Mass very often. The trouble is that archipelago has 17,000 islands and not enough priests. The situation varies from region to region. In Java and in the all-Catholic island of Flores, it is easier for Catholics to attend Sunday Mass. For Catholics in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Papua, Sulawesi and the Moluccas it is much more difficult".
The Bishop says: "people are deeply aware of the value of the Eucharist, they understand that it is the real presence of Christ who sets us free, makes us new creatures. Nevertheless we all, and priests especially, need to continually to deepen our understanding of the Mystery of the Eucharist, which otherwise is in danger of becoming a meaningless ritual. This is why, in their Pastoral Plan the Indonesian Bishops' have included ongoing formation for priests, to whom is entrusted to a large extent the care of the people of God".
Indonesia is a country where Muslims are the majority and this means, says Bishop Situmorang, "that besides being an act of supreme spiritual value, the Eucharist is lived as an important moment for the Christian community to come together, to bear witness, to increase reciprocal communion between the faithful around and with the priest or bishop, to realise that they are a community centred on Jesus Christ and his Gospel. From the Eucharist Indonesian Catholics discover and strengthen their identity in order to bear witness to others".
The Bishop concludes: "This new document from the Pope, which we expect will be profound and rich in points for reflection, is for us bishops a call to make sure that the Eucharist is at the centre of our pastoral work and that we continue to offer it to the People of God and to reveal its value for the Church in Indonesia." PA (Fides Service 16/4/2003 EM lines 34 Words: 404)