Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, the Archbishop of Jakarta and Military Ordinary for Indonesia, is a fervent advocate for social justice, environmental awareness, and interfaith dialogue.

Born on July 9, 1950, in Sedayu, Indonesia, he grew up in a family of 10 children with strong religious vocations, with one brother becoming a monk and two sisters becoming nuns.

Suharyo pursued his religious education diligently, entering the minor seminary at age 11 and later completing his studies in philosophy and theology. He obtained his licentiate and doctorate from the Pontifical Urban University in Rome in 1979 and 1981, respectively.

He was ordained priest on January 26, 1976, and served as a formator and professor at various institutions, including the Sanata Dharma Jesuit university where he was head of the department of philosophy and sociology. In this period, he shared in the sufferings of a population suffering from the country’s dictatorship.

In 1997, Pope John Paul II appointed him Archbishop of Semarang, the first of several significant positions he has been given in the Indonesian Catholic Church. For three years, until 2000, he led the Commission for Interreligious Dialogue within the Indonesian Episcopal Conference (Kwi).

He then served as secretary general of the bishop’s conference from 2000 to 2006, and was appointed Military Ordinary for Indonesia in 2006. In 2009, he became the Coadjutor Archbishop of Jakarta and succeeded as Archbishop in 2010. He was also vice president of the bishops’ conference until 2012.

In recognition of his service and leadership, Pope Francis elevated Suharyo to the rank of cardinal on October 5, 2019, making him the third cardinal from Indonesia. He currently serves as a member of the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Dicastery for Inter-religious Dialogue.

One of Suharyo’s notable achievements was the establishment of a Catholic justice and peace commission in Jakarta in 2016. This commission aims to address problems faced by marginalized groups in Indonesia’s capital city. He has been an advocate for social justice, environmental awareness, and interfaith dialogue in Indonesia.

Suharyo has been vocal about various social issues in Indonesia. He has spoken out against corruption, violence, and environmental damage, particularly highlighting the country’s plastic waste problem. He has also addressed human rights concerns, calling for the government to address past abuses and emphasizing the importance of respecting human dignity.

In common with Pope Francis, the cardinal has promoted inclusive actions regarding homosexuals and transgender people, instructing clergy to welcome them into parishes as part of a push to respect human dignity.

Cardinal Suharyo sees liturgical celebrations, especially the Eucharist, as important community-building events. He has spoken about basic communities gathering for prayer and exploring themes of solidarity and subsidiarity through their liturgical life.

The cardinal has consistently emphasized the importance of peaceful coexistence and collaboration between different religious communities in Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. He has even gone so far as to highlight the symbolic significance of the Istiqlal Mosque (the national mosque) being intentionally built near the Catholic cathedral in Jakarta, seeing it as a symbol of religious harmony.

He also noted positively the significance of an underground tunnel connecting the mosque and the cathedral, known as the “Tunnel of Friendship.” He has said this physical connection symbolizes the desire for interfaith understanding and cooperation.

During Pope Francis’ visit to Jakarta in September 2024, the Pope and Indonesian Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar signed a joint declaration at the mosque, calling on religious leaders to deepen their cooperation in order to defend human dignity and fight climate change.

The cardinal noted that the Grand Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque was among the first to announce Pope Francis’s visit to Indonesia, even before the Vatican’s formal announcement. This gesture was seen as a sign of openness and enthusiasm for interfaith dialogue.

During the Pope’s visit, Cardinal Suharyo served as an important bridge between Pope Francis, the local Catholic community, and Indonesian society at large, helping to interpret and amplify the Pope’s message of interfaith harmony and social justice.