KWI At the Orientation Watershed Authority Junction

KWI At the Orientation Watershed Authority Junction

(A Footnote to the Greetings of Bishop Emeritus Mgr. Frans Kopong Kung at the Episcopal Ordination of the Bishop of the Larantuka Diocese, Mgr. Hans Monteiro)

Bishop Emeritus Frans Kopong Kung at the celebration of the episcopal ordination of Msgr. Hans Monteiro, Bishop of the Larantuka Diocese, briefly broke the flow of the liturgical celebration and presented a reflective pause: “KWI must be a moral compass. Remain an anchor that touches the seabed. If the KWI ship experiences a shock, don’t let it sink.”

Bishop Frans’ speech did not just stop as a momentary event in the flow of time that briefly appeared and then disappeared.

There have been many articles and comments that further reflect on the Bishop’s reflective interruptions – also the Chairman of KWI directly responded to the prophetic voice of the Shepherd who has guided the Church of the Larantuka Diocese for approximately 22 years.

In the horizon of perception of some parishioners and fellow priests, Bishop Frans does not appear as an intellectual figure in the academic sense, but as a shepherd who articulates his faith through pastoral praxis.
For this reason, some people tend to (already) place Frans Kopong Kung outside the category of “intellectual” in the narrow sense and then ignore the depth of reflection hidden behind the simplicity of the Bishop’s language.

However, in the historical moment of the Indonesian Church, Frans Kopong voiced a clear determination without ambiguity in meaning and pastoral depth without hiding behind the complexity of language.

Frans Kopong’s voice seemed to be present at a decisive moment for KWI, a moment of kairos for the Church.

The Church does not (only) live from the structure, but rather the conscience that shapes human humanity. In the history of the Church (Indonesia), whose beliefs have been shaken, KWI is expected to provide orientation for the people. This hope is deeply rooted in Church tradition as emphasized by Karl Rahner, a famous German theologian, who understands the Church not merely as an institution, but as a spiritual space, where responsibility and conscience are intertwined.

Within this horizon of understanding, the Bishops’ Conference cannot stop at mere administrative functions (verwalten), but is called to speak out, interpret the signs of the times, and guide the congregation amidst shaken beliefs (Rahner: Schriften zur Theologie 1980: 287).

Here, Frans Kopong’s reflective interruption is not a frontal attack on the KWI institution or judging it, but rather a pastoral call for renewal within the body of the Church. Precisely from the experience of a pastor who has served for many years, his voice acquires a distinctive weight: not just “just random talk”, but a testimony and anxiety.

Frans Kopong’s anxiety and prophetic voice shows that intellectuality does not primarily lie in the formulation of academic language that is complicated for people to understand, but rather the ability to read the urgency of problems (signs of the times) and discuss them at the right time honestly and firmly.

In situations of loss of direction and shock, it is precisely the voice that is often ignored or not taken into account that becomes the guiding compass.

Thank you Msgr. Frans!
Happy Serving, Msgr. Hans.

This inscription is just a footnote that helps frame the unity of the body, spirituality and hope of faith of the people of the Larantuka Diocese under the leadership of Mgr. Hans Monteiro;
Yes, like feet taking steps, looking for direction and hope for the future of the Church.

By Vian Lein
Author: Alumnus of the Kölner Hochschule für Katholische Theologie Köln, Germany and pastoral worker in the Diocese of Erfurt, Germany