On 20 July, Fr Benedictus Hari Juliawan SJ began his mission as the Provincial of the Indonesian Province of the Society of Jesus. He succeeds Fr Petrus Sunu Hardiyanta SJ, who served as Provincial for six years.

Fr Benny – as he is usually called – formally began his mission in a way hitherto unimaginable. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Provincial Curia decided to shift this year’s Province Forum online. Over 300 Jesuits dispersed in various parts of Indonesia participated in the event and witnessed Fr Benny assume his office through an online Mass.

In a prepared video message for Jesuits and lay collaborators, Fr Benny highlighted the call to change generated by the Universal Apostolic Preferences (UAPs) and the Covid-19 pandemic. “The world after the pandemic is going to be very different, and we have begun to experience it,” he said. “As the Lord’s collaborators, we want to draw His graces in this changing world.”

To respond to this call, he invited Jesuits and lay collaborators to become men and women of the Spiritual Exercises, that is, to become “prayerful persons who are interiorly free”. By cultivating interior freedom, Jesuits and lay collaborators can initiate the changes demanded by the UAPs and the Covid-19 pandemic with a spirit of obedience and generosity.

Accordingly and as a gesture of solidarity, Fr Benny issued a moratorium on the construction of new buildings in all apostolic works of the province. This is so apostolic works can shift the focus of their resources to alleviating the burden of those who are deeply affected by the economic crisis caused by the pandemic.

“In the present situation, the construction of new buildings is not urgent because it does not immediately address the pressing needs of our neighbours,” explained Fr Benny. “As members of religious communities and the Catholic Church, we want to manifest our solidarity to the victims of this crisis and to do what we can to help ease their burden.”

Watch Fr Benny’s video message: