Strong stance by Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleven in defense of virgin lands that the Jakarta government wants to convert into a center for new “development projects” of national importance on the Catholic-majority island. Concern of local farmers.
Jakarta () – Bishop Paulus Budi Kleven, archbishop of Ende, in Flores, the predominantly Catholic island in the eastern Indonesian province of Nusa Tenggara, has publicly expressed his opposition to the construction projects of geothermal power plants in Mataloko and other locations of his diocese. A statement that is attracting a lot of attention from groups fighting for environmental protection. That of Archbishop Kleven is, in fact, the first explicit voice of the leaders of the Indonesian Church against projects potentially harmful to the ecosystem and the social life of local communities.
“Having heard the concerned voices of the people and other interested parties, I feel morally obliged to express my strong rejection against any geothermal field project in some places of our pastoral territory of Ende,” said the prelate (appointed by the Pope Francis a few months ago, after serving as superior general of the Verbites) in a video message published last week. “After having listened to dozens of people on the ground, from Sokoria to Mataloko, and to the local clergy, I have no hesitation in declaring my opinion as the leader of this Church,” added the archbishop in a gesture that is part of that attention. to the issue of the environment urged by Pope Francis with the encyclical Laudato Sì.
Since 2017, Flores Island has been officially declared by Jakarta as a potential location for the exploration of deposits suitable for geothermal plants. There are 17 projects, some of which have already been attributed to the towns of Daratei and Mataloko, in the Ngada area. In recent years, investors and other parties have undertaken a wave of action to pressure local chiefs and church leaders themselves to support so-called national strategic projects.
Those affected are mountainous territories that constitute true natural paradises, but where forms of degradation are already increasing in the name of economic “development.” Residents report threats to public health, but also phenomena such as the deterioration of the state of houses due to undesirable materials and the decline in the fertility of agricultural land. The farmers of Mataloko have presented their complaints about the serious decrease in the harvests of coffee, cocoa, corn, vanilla, vegetables, avocados and cloves,” reads a report from some environmental associations.
In this context, Bishop Kleden urges priests and local leaders to mitigate all the serious effects caused by these projects, calling for strong resistance against any mining initiative that could harm the environment and the community life of the people.
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