INDONESIA The Bishop of Denpasar against (Catholic) marriages on the beaches of Bali

The practice of weddings by the sea, amidst natural and cultural beauty, has been gaining ground for some time. Archbishop Sylvester San recalls an “exhortation” from bishops in 2015 and points out that the rite only has value if it is celebrated in a place of worship. A significant industry has sprung up around the celebrations.

Jakarta () – A Catholic marriage is valid only if celebrated in a consecrated place of worship. This is the warning issued in a pastoral letter by Monsignor Sylvester San, bishop of the diocese of Denpasar on the island of Bali (Indonesia), who has intervened to crush a phenomenon that has become fashionable: that of weddings on the beach, which in recent decades has become increasingly popular not only among foreigners visiting the country, but also among the inhabitants of the archipelago itself, and which continues to grow. It is a choice dictated by the natural landscape and the cultural treasures of the area, as well as by the hospitality of the people, but which clashes with the instructions of the Church on the administration of the sacrament.

The diocese of Denpasar covers a vast territory that includes three major tourist destinations: Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa. The prelate’s letter, which sanctions the validity of the rite only if celebrated in church, echoes an “exhortation” issued by the bishops in April 2015 and confirms what was already known. However, it has raised eyebrows, especially among workers in the tourism sector, who had found in the rite celebrated on the white sands of the island an important source of income. Not only the service, but also the surrounding industry, from flights to hotels, restaurants and accommodation.

Monsignor Sylvester San, however, wanted to recall – and underline – the “sacred character” of the rite itself, while recalling that “more than a year” had passed before the directive could come into force. The prelate issued the statement on the sidelines of the national conference of the General Directorate of Catholic Orientation, an agency dependent on the Ministry of Religious Affairs. (Bimas Catholic Church of the Holy See).

Suparman, the current head of the Bimas Katolik Kemenag, stressed the “fundamental” importance of training in order to start and lead a “good family life” in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic faith. Other key issues were also discussed during the meeting, including the question of marriage annulment and “divorce,” on which the Catholic Church has no intention of reaching agreements or negotiating.

Interviewed by , Eleine Magdalena, from the Widya Sasana School of Theological Philosophy in Malang, East Java province, recalled that the indissolubility of marriage is today a delicate and controversial issue in marital unions, even in Catholic families. At the heart of the issue, as revealed by recent studies on eight women, is the need to guarantee the “sanctity” of Catholic marriage and its indissolubility, with the problems related to suffering and crisis in the couple. “Asceticism in marriage,” she concludes, “is seen as a means to achieve a deeper dedication to one’s spouse and to God. Detachment, a central element of asceticism, purifies the being and favors spiritual growth.”