In the evening of November 15, 2023, at the Apostolic Nunciature in Jakarta, a ceremony was held to present papal decorations to three distinguished citizens of Indonesia. They received them from the hands of Archbishop Piero Pioppo, the Apostolic Nuncio to Indonesia, Ignatius Jonan, Lucia Maria Liando, and Rudy Lawantara.
In awarding the decoration to the President of the Circle of Friends of the John Paul II Foundation in Indonesia, the Nuncio said, “In recognition of the merits of Ms. Lucia Maria Liando, who has dedicated her life to continuous and generous service to the Catholic Church, especially service to the pope and the formation of our priests and laypeople, she is honored with the Commandery of the Order of St. Sylvester the Pope.”
Mr. Ignatius Jonan, a former minister in the Indonesian government, was awarded the Knightly Order of St. Gregory the Great, and Mr. Rudy Lawantara received the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice decorations.
The Apostolic Nuncio expressed the hope that the honorees would become an example and source of inspiration for other faithful: “Let us pray that we all may follow their example, so that we too may see our lives as an opportunity for service, love, and joint building of a society worthy of the praise of God, our Creator.”
The ceremony of awarding the papal distinctions was combined with the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis. It was attended by the Indonesian Minister of Communication and Information, Budi Arie Setiadi, representing the government, the diplomatic corps, the Archbishop of Jakarta, Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, the Chairman of the Conference of Bishops of Indonesia, Bishop Antonius Subianto Bunjamin OSC, and other bishops present in the capital for the annual meeting of the Episcopal Conference of Indonesia.
In gratitude for the honor, President Lucia Liando expressed her thanks to the Holy Father, who deemed her worthy of receiving the prestigious decoration. She also thanked the Apostolic Nuncio in Jakarta for initiating the process of awarding her the papal decoration. Praise be to God, who “has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
The Board of the Vatican John Paul II Foundation in Rome and all its members extend congratulations to President Liando and her family, thanking them for the wonderful testimony of faith and sacrifice for the papal work, which thanks to them, has significantly expanded in far Asia.
