In a meeting held in Jakarta on October 25, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis Alistair Dutton issued a warning about the increasingly serious consequences of climate change, which is fueling climate migration and could have dramatic effects in Indonesia too. Coming from Rome, Dutton met with Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, president of the Indonesian Bishops' Conference and leader of Caritas Indonesia (Karina KWI), underlining the need to address this global emergency.

“We are used to talking about migration in economic terms, which in reality affects a very small number of people,” Dutton said. In contrast, “thousands or even millions of people are potentially affected by climate change, which is making the planet an increasingly less habitable place,” he continued, adding that with less fertile land and diminishing resources, the risk of large-scale forced migration becomes inevitable.

Indonesia is also particularly vulnerable, being located in the “Ring of Fire,” a geographic area subject to frequent volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. During the meeting, Cardinal Suharyo explained how Caritas Indonesia was born in 2006 in response to a natural disaster: at the time, the Archdiocese of Semarang, in the Yogyakarta region, mobilized to provide aid after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake that caused over 5,700 victims and damages of $3.1 billion.

With the support of local parishes and the leadership of the late Bishop Johannes Pujasumarta – “a priest with a strong spirit of compassion towards others,” as Suharyo described him – an emergency response network was established, leading to the creation of Caritas Semarang, known locally as Karina KAS.

“Special thanks go to Msgr. Pius Riana Prapdi, the current bishop of Ketapang, who was then vicar general of the archdiocese and who contributed significantly to the establishment of Caritas Semarang,” Suharyo added.

The meeting between Dutton and Suharyo provided a new impetus to the collaboration between Caritas Internationalis and Caritas Indonesia in managing humanitarian crises and implementing disaster mitigation measures, working towards a safer and more dignified future for Indonesian citizens and migrants. Also present at the meeting were Msgr. Aloysius Sudarso, President Emeritus of Caritas Indonesia, Executive Director Fr. Freddy Rante Taruk and several staff members.

Recently, Caritas Indonesia launched a program to combat malnutrition on the island of Sumba, in the province of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), which led to the distribution of food parcels to 373 mothers and children and 6 pregnant women in the diocese of Weetebula. In addition, as explained by Fr. Freddy Rante Taruk, the foundation is active in implementing plans to combat human trafficking, a phenomenon that mainly affects Indonesian migrant workers.