Strong stance by Archbishop Msgr. Local farmers' concerns. Jakarta AsiaNews - Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleven, archbishop of Ende in Flores, Indonesia's predominantly Catholic island in eastern Nusa Tenggara province, has publicly expressed his opposition to plans to build geothermal power plants in Mataloko and other locations in his diocese's territory.
A statement that is attracting a great deal of attention from groups fighting for environmental protection.
Archbishop Kleven's is in fact the first explicit voice of Indonesian Church leaders against projects that are potentially harmful to the ecosystem and the social life of local communities. Since , Flores Island has been officially declared by Jakarta as a potential site for exploration of sites suitable for geothermal plants.
There are reportedly 17 projects among which some have already been attributed to the Daratei and Mataloko locations in the Ngada area. A wave of actions have been taken in recent years by investors and other parties to push local chiefs and church leaders themselves to support so-called national strategic projects.
Against this backdrop, Bishop Kleden urgently calls on local priests and leaders to mitigate all the serious effects caused by these projects, calling for strong resistance against any mining initiative that would harm the environment and people's community life.
