New Bishop of Sibolga: 'Let's walk together'
Appointed by Pope Francis on Saturday, Mgr Fransiskus Tuarman Sinaga spoke to AsiaNews about his pastoral priorities. “[W]e urgently need more properly trained lay people to help us develop our diocese.” Faced with modern information technology that isolate people, it is important to keep communal centres alive.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Pope Francis appointed Father Fransiskus Tuarman Sinaga as the new bishop of the Diocese of Sibolga on Saturday. The diocesan priest comes from the same region, North Sumatra province, which includes Nias Island.
Born in 1972 in Penggalangan, Archdiocese of Medan, Bishop Tuarman Sinaga has been a priest since 2003. For years he served in the parish of Gunungsitoli, capital of Nias, and as an educator at St Peter's Aek Tolang Minor Seminary in Sibolga.
After studying moral theology at Urbaniana University in Rome, he became the director of the Dian Mandala Diocesan Pastoral Institute in Gunungsitoli.
Mgr Sinaga will be the third bishop of Sibolga, which was set up as an apostolic prefecture in 1959 and elevated to the rank of Diocese in 1980. He will be the first bishop from the diocesan clergy, after two Capuchin friars, Anicetus Bongsu Antonius Sinaga and Ludovicus Simanullang.
The seat was left vacant after its occupant, Bishop Anicetus Sinaga, died from COVID-19 in November 2020, the first Indonesian prelate to succumb to the viral disease. Mgr Sinaga had been bishop of the same diocese (1981-2004) and came back as apostolic administrator in 2018 after the death of his successor.
“I am committed to continue the work initiated by my two predecessors,” said the new bishop speaking to AsiaNews about his pastoral priorities. The aim is “to ensure that the Diocese of Sibolga is a local Church founded on economic independence, but at the same time compassionate in promoting the liberation of our people from any hardships.”
The bishop plans to achieve these pastoral goals through the resilience of community life. Each parish has its own pastoral body managing a given territory (Wilayah) formed by many community wards (Lingkungan).
The presence of both is fundamental for the life of the parish. “I am quite certain that such approach will be effective to achieve our goals,” said Bishop Fransiskus Sinaga. “We don’t need elaborate plans or programmes. I shall promote close cooperation between priests, religious and the laity to reach our targets together.”
The Diocese of Sibolga faces a number of challenges, including geography. The number of pastoral workers is limited and many distant places are difficult to reach.
“Today it is a little easier than it was for my two predecessors, but we urgently need more properly trained lay people to help us develop our diocese.”
Another challenge comes from the borderless global village. “The new devices that allow everywhere to be connected have become both an opportunity and a serious problem for us, not only for consecrated people, but also for families in their daily life.
“More and more we are seeing fewer people participate in the diocese’s regular meetings simply because people are 'busy' with these devices. This is why it is important today to go through communal bodies rather than a centralised approach.”
There is also the problem of the thousands of people still experiencing serious economic hardships.
Despite this, the bishop is “encouraged by the strong spirit of solidarity of local Catholics. Doing good works at the service of all will also make us grow in communion between priests, religious and laity.”
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07/02/2019 17:28
31/07/2021 09:58
