Rebel priests in Indonesia’s Ruteng Diocese have appealed to the Vatican to intervene and resolve a bitter dispute with their bishop, whom they accuse of misappro-priating more than US$100,000 in church funds.
Representatives of the priests, accompa-nied by a bishops’ conference official met Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, the outgoing apostolic nuncio in Indonesia on June 16 to call on the Vatican to help them achieve their demand that Bishop Hubertus Leteng heed their calls for a complete overhaul of how the diocese is run.
The move comes after dozens of priests in the diocese on Catholic-majority Flores Island quit their posts in protest against their bishop.
Father Alfonsius Segar, one of the priests who met the nuncio, told ucanews.com that Archbishop Filipazzi has promised to help resolve the dispute.
“He will immediately take this issue up with the Vatican,” Father Segar said.
Father Segar also said the nuncio will send someone to the diocese to appraise the situation. “We are looking forward to a swift Vatican decision on this,” Father Segar said.
A source close to Antonius Agus Sriyono, Indonesia’s Ambassador at the Vatican told ucanews.com that the Indonesian government was also raising the Ruteng dispute with the Vatican.
On June 12, 69 priests in Ruteng Diocese declared open revolt by quitting their posts as episcopal vicars and parish priests, and demanded Bishop Leteng completely change how the diocese is run.
Last year, Bishop Leteng was accused of secretly borrowing US$94,000 from the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference in Jakarta and US$30,000 from the diocese but failed to provide an accountability report. Accusing their bishop of embezzling funds and having an affair, 69 of the 167 priests in the Diocese of Ruteng, Indonesia, have resigned from their diocesan and parish posts.
