They are Sacred Heart Archbishop Petrus Mandagi of Merauke in Papua, Indonesian bishops’ conference president Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo of Jakarta, and Reverend Ronny Mandang, chairman of the Fellowship of Indonesian Evangelical Churches and Institutions.
Indonesia’s Coordinating Politic, Law and Security Minister Mahfud MD says he is open to allowing church leaders to mediate talks with separatists in Papua. (Photo: Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Ministry)
The move comes amid an escalation in violence between military and pro-independence separatists in Papua. Insurgents have carried out a series of attacks on the military and civilians, leading to at least a dozen deaths including the chief of Papua Intelligence Agency.
In response, the government declared separatists as terrorists, arrested pro-independence leaders, deployed hundreds of soldiers and launched a heavy crackdown. Christian-majority Papua has experienced a low-level insurgency for independence since the end of Dutch colonial rule in 1960s.
Lawyers in Timor-Leste expressed frustration over the recurrent postponement of a trial of a former American priest facing charges of sexually abusing children. A district court in the tiny Catholic-majority country postponed the trial hearing of Richard Daschbach on Monday.
This was the third time the trial had been postponed in three months. The next hearing is scheduled for June 7. In a statement issued on May 25, lawyers representing 15 alleged victims expressed dismay at the delays and said they will make a complaint to the Superior Council of Judicial Magistrates over “a breach of procedural rules.”
Richard Daschbach waves from a police van before the start of his trial on Feb. 22. (Photo: YouTube)
Daschbach, an 84-year-old former Divine World priest, faces charges of child abuse, child pornography and domestic violence. He is the first priest in the country to face trial for child abuse. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.
The Vatican dismissed him from the priesthood following an investigation and his confession of abusing children at the Topu Honis children’s shelter that he founded in 1993.
A catechist in the Catholic-majority Philippines has garnered widespread praise for teaching catechism and commenting on social issues to young Catholics on social media using puppets and theater. Alberto Saldajeno posts five-minute video clips on YouTube channel Kwentismo, or “storyism.”
He aims to make the Catholic faith interesting to mostly children and youths studying online. Saldajeno uses puppets that look like Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary among others. Through questions and answers about the Catholic faith, he speaks to young Catholics about pressing social issues in the Philippines such as Covid-19 and extrajudicial killings.
Filipino catechist Alberto Saldajeno uses puppets to teach catechism and voice social concerns in Philippine society.
His clips also criticize politicians such as President Rodrigo Duterte for their wrongdoings and asks viewers to pray for them. He has also touched on other topics such as fake news and corruption in a simple way so that young Catholics can understand them better.
Church officials have praised Saldajeno for his innovative and creative approach to catechism and noted his model is worthy of following nationwide.
In Malaysia, teenage girls face various forms of sexual harassment and bullying in schools and perpetrators include their teachers, says a survey by the All Women’s Action Society. The group said it found that in 311 recorded incidents, four out of five perpetrators of sexual harassment and bullying were teachers, followed by wardens and senior students.
In their testimonies, female students said teachers at primary and secondary schools force students to reveal whether they are on their period during religious holidays in the Muslim-majority nation.
The revelations of widespread sexual harassment at Malaysia’s schools have followed an account by a teenage girl last month. (Photo: YouTube)
Menstruating women are considered “unclean” in mainstream Islamic tradition and barred from engaging in communal worship. In other instances, male teachers told lewd jokes to female students or communicated with them in a sexually suggestive manner. One student said that a male teacher joked about rape to female students in a class.
The revelation of wide-scale sexual harassment has caused national outrage, with experts and rights activists calling for measures to eliminate all forms of sexual abuse in schools.
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