The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1958-04-25
Church in Indonesia:
Anti-D Dutch Emotion High
But Missionaries Remain
BY Erik v. Kuehnelf-L eddihn


The Church in Mohammedan, once Dutch-ruled
Indonesia is today in a delicate position, and this in
spite of the fact that the lslamic faith on the main
islands of the newly created republic is of a much
weaker fiber than in Malaya.
The people OF Central Java for instance, really
are animisfs and thus in the past entire villages in
that region could be converted. Thirty, forty years
ago the small, eenturies-oId Catholic minority Of the
Sunday Islands suddenly grew by leaps and bounds.
Grace made itself felt in a most mysterious way.
Today Catholic life flourishes west and north of
Timor as if to warn us that we must never despair
of the growth of our Faith.
lndoneSla is the great exception to the rule,
probably the only M~ohammedan nation in the world
where conversion is not considered a major crime
and where Catholics are not Disseminated against
in public life. AS a matter of fact, they are some
times treated with more than average trust and re-
spect. Conversions, it is true, are relatively rare
among the Malay Indonesians of the capital and the
Western parts of Java, but, Jakarta being a metrop-
oils, the native Catholics come in from other
parts Of the huge republic with 70 million inhabit-
ants.
And whereas. a Malay Catholic in Malaga or
Singapore will have to bear the most terrible So
cial pressure as a traitor no such attitude pre-
walls in Java. 1--WE find Mohammedan f~anaticism
in Celebes. where the "Darum Islam" movement has
violently anti-christian aspects, but is only a side
issue.)
Nevertheless, The picture is not as rosy as the
reader might be led to believe and the shadows over
lndonesia, and especially Java, are growing darker
and longer
The Dutch with all their faults - they have al
ways been exceedingly poor at human relations -
kept the economy, the financial stability, and the
general security of their colonial empire in fine
shape. 4
Their Withdrawal from administrative Jobs
and the ravages Of World War II have created un-
certainty and chaos. AS q political unit Indonesia
has no precedent; it was created by the Dutch Just
as united India had been created by the British. A
number of Dutch remained in private enterprises
West Guinea (which belongs to another Confinenfl
but the governments violent revindication Of Dutch
has resulted in q new nti-Dute wave Of emotions.
The Indonesian trade unions under Communist
sway, taking advantage Of the popular frenzy. have
occupied and appropriated all Dutch enterprises
and the government, afraid to be less nafionalisfic
than the Reds, has followed suit and ordered more
confiscations.
The results are terrifying. The Dutch are leaving
in droves and the government now thinks of draft
ing the remaining ones forcibly to stay in their jobs
:. while the mob movement against them goes on.
A mounting opportunity for the powerful Commu-
mist organization, which also has its men among the
army officers, to grasp total control. 81
Thus the future of the flourishing missions is
dark. Of the Dutch missionaries none left and more
are asking for permission to come.
Whatever the attitudes of the respective gov
ernments and of the masses, these missionaries
have a primary duty toward their faithful and,
equally, toward those who are thirst for Christs
message.
To speak to these endangered men who sternly
live up to their ~vocations is in itself a marvellous
experience S.