Afra (not her real name), a 41-year-old woman and former Catholic nun, has been struggling to restart her life after miscarrying a child she conceived with a 33-year-old priest identified only as MT, who is a member of her diocese in Southwest Sumba regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Afra met the priest as she was contemplating leaving the congregation, and later entered into what she thought was a consensual relationship based on love. She got pregnant and tried to hide it from her family for a while, but eventually the couple had to come clean. However, MT abruptly disappeared as the two were expected to meet with diocesan officials over the matter.

Disheartened and in a state of shock, Afra eventually miscarried. As her family sought damages from MT through the church, they were informed the priest had been suspended from his ecclesiastical duties and sent to a commune in Surabaya, East Java. It was later revealed that MT had been entangled in a similar affair when he was still a deacon in Kupang, NTT.

MT returned to the Weetebula diocese after Afra reported her case to the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan), but she claims she was unable to contact him.

Vicar general Agus Bulu of the Weetebula diocese said that Bishop Edmund had exercised “the fullest extent” of his authority, having expelled the priest from his duties at the diocese. However, MT still retains his priesthood.

The vicar general said the church was just as much a victim in the case and that both MT and Afra were at fault.

The legal side

In addition to Komnas Perempuan, a group of humanitarian volunteers in Maumere, a major city on the island of Flores in NTT, is also helping Afra seek justice.

In a letter addressed to the Weetebula diocese, the Maumere volunteers stated that the relationship between Afra and MT was not one between equal and consenting adults.

“As a male, a priest and a religious leader, [MT] held a much more important position than [Afra] in a patriarchal society and in a church that is dominated by clericalism,” said the letter.

The letter also quoted Pope Francis’ Vos Estis Lux Mundi, in which he spoke about sexual abuse and violence caused by abuse of authority, including abuse and violence that priests perpetrated against nuns and other congregational sisters, as well as seminarians and novices.

The Maumere volunteers demanded special attention from the church to restore the “rights of the victim” through its letter, which it also copied to the Vatican embassy in Jakarta and the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia (KWI).

The Apostolic Nunciature to Indonesia, the Vatican’s representative in the country, has not responded to requests for comment.

No resolution

Last November, Afra told the Post that she no longer trusted MT and she did not want to marry him anymore. She still wanted him removed from the priesthood, a demand she had communicated directly to Bishop Edmund.

“I told the bishop that my voice represented all the victims who had been afraid to speak out,” said Afra. She also said that she never received counseling or other mental health treatment from the diocese.

But Edmund stood by his extra domus decision, saying it was “enough”, she said.

While she still hoped that the diocese would take more assertive action, she also hoped that MT would become self-aware and eventually resign.

“It would be more honorable for him to resign than to be a hypocritical priest,” she said.

As for Afra, while she still wanted to be a nun, she realized that this door was now closed to her. She said the unfairness still rankled with her, considering that the diocese had allowed MT to remain a priest.

"[MT] should resign before the bishop decides so. He knows he's guilty. Why is he still holding out against his mistakes?"

— Evi Mariani is a former senior journalist at The Jakarta Post. The interview with the ex-nun was done in November 2020, and the one with the vicar general in January 2021.