The Catholic Church in Indonesia celebrated the creation of its newest diocese and the ordination of its first bishop, Maksimus Regus, in Labuan Bajo on Nov. 1.
Located on the “Catholic Island” of Flores in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, the Diocese of Labuan Bajo is the 38th Catholic diocese in Indonesia.
Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo of Jakarta led the ceremony, joined by Bishops Siprianus Hormat of Ruteng and Budi Kleden of Ende, who officiated the ordination at St. Peter’s Sernaru Church.
The move to form the new diocese began in 2021 when the Ruteng Diocese proposed dividing the territory to better address the region’s unique pastoral needs.
With a Catholic population of 966,385, 296 diocesan priests, and 85 parishes spread across three regions, Ruteng Diocese was one of Indonesia’s largest.
In response to these numbers, Ruteng held its third synodal meeting in 2021, which recommended establishing a new diocese to improve service to the faithful.
Bishop Regus explained that before becoming a diocese, Labuan Bajo operated as Ruteng’s Regional Vicariate, comprising 25 parishes and serving approximately 350,000 Catholics.
“As briefed by [Archbishop] Pioppo last June, it is strongly expected that our faith should go into the depth so that becoming fruitful,” the prelate said.
Labuan Bajo, situated on the western tip of Flores Island, has rapidly emerged as a tourism hub in recent years.
Known for its breathtaking landscapes and proximity to the famous Komodo National Park, the city attracts thousands of tourists who come to experience its mountains, crystal-clear waters, and opportunities to observe the Komodo dragon in its natural habitat.
The rapid growth of the tourism industry has contributed to Labuan Bajo’s economic prominence, influencing the decision to establish the new diocese.
On June 21, the Vatican officially declared Labuan Bajo a separate diocese from Ruteng and appointed Regus as its bishop.
Bishop Regus, a sociologist with a doctoral degree from the Netherlands and former dean of St. Paul’s Catholic University in Ruteng, brings both academic insight and pastoral experience to his new role.
The prelate, who has served as the chair of the Ruteng Diocese’s diocesan priests’ association, noted the unique challenges posed by Labuan Bajo’s economic development and the impact of tourism on the local population.
“I had the opportunity to learn a lot about Labuan Bajo due [to] my position of the chairperson of local diocesan priests association (Unio of Ruteng Diocese),” he said, emphasizing that “cooperative dialogue with Ruteng’s bishop Msgr. Hormat is strategically important to divide ‘mutual’ assets.”
On Oct. 31, representatives from Ruteng and Labuan Bajo formally reached an agreement regarding the division of resources, witnessed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia (KWI) and the Archdiocese of Ende.
Bishop Regus highlighted the importance of strong organizational foundations in this new chapter. “Strong fundamental basis on the new church’s organization structure and its pastoral works will be very essential to complete first and later on mode of evangelization,” he said.
He added that this would support the community in navigating the “huge influx of tourism industry that has ‘created’ a new way of life among local people – mostly also Catholic congregation.”
