Indonesian Biblical Congress 2025
Indonesia Bible Association (Lembaga Biblika Indonesia) held the Indonesian Biblical congress at the “Catholic Center” Denpasar Diocese, Bali (15 – 19 July 2025).
This national congress is a routine meeting held in every four years dan is an important moment in promoting and developing the Biblical Apostolate in Indonesia.
The Congress was attended by the Delegates of the Dioceses on Biblical Apostolate throughout Indonesia and individuals or representatives of institutions engaged in the study and apostolate of Scripture.
The Conggress was opened with an Holy Eucharist at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Denpasar, presided by the Bishop Delegate of the Indonesia Bishop Conference for Biblical Apostolate , Msgr. Silvester San. This national conggress aims to get to know each other, share experiences, learn and discuss regarding the ideas about the biblical apostolate between dioceses.
The Theme of this conggres was “Proclaiming Christ in the Asian-Indonesian Context”. This theme was inspired by an idea that emerged at the FABC (Federation Asian Bhisop Conference) meeting in Thailand in 2020, which reaffirmed an important element in the Church, namely synodality, which is the distinctive style of the Church's life and mission. An effective way to present and proclaim Jesus is to tell Christ in the Asian/Indonesian context.
In this conggres, there were four presentations from experts who spoke about Jesus, the Word of God and local culture. The first presentation was delivered by the Archbishop of Ende, Mgr. Dr. Paul Budi Kleden, SVD, with the theme: “The Proclamation of Christ in the Various Cultures of the Nations”. According to Mgr Budi Kleden, the true proclamation of faith must take into account the cultural context, and a responsible inculturation presupposes an adequate understanding of faith.
The second presentation was delivered by RP. Albertus Bagus Laksana, SJ, Rector of Sanata Darma University, with the theme, “Panorama of Togetherness Between Church and Culture in Indonesia”. According to him, the Church plays an important role in maintaining cultural diversity and being an appreciative and contributive ‘citizen’ for the culture of unity in diversity.
In the third presentation, Linda Wahyudi and RP Ignasius Budiono, O.Carm spoke about the “Story Telling Method by Utilizing Cultural Aspects”. Meanwhile, in the fourth presentation, RD. Herman Punda Panda (Widya Mandira Catholic University, Kupang) talked about proclaiming Christ in the context of Indonesian local culture.
This conggress ended with the election of the Board of Indonesian Bible Association where RP. Albertus Purnomo, OFM was elected as the Chairman of the Lembaga Biblika Indonesia .
Contributor
Albertus Purnomo, OFM
