(INDONESIA)
Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) [Hong Kong]
July 23, 2026
By UCS News reporter
Move comes 8 months after a local media published report containing the survivor’s account
A diocese in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province has suspended a priest after a canonical investigation found he abused his position of authority in a sexual abuse case involving a female university student, in what is believed to be the first publicly known case of clerical sexual abuse in the country.
Father Ignasius Loy Semana, who was previously dismissed as a lecturer at the Catholic University of Indonesia Saint Paul Ruteng on Flores Island, was suspended by the Diocese of Labuan Bajo on July 20.
The decision came eight months after a local media outlet published an investigative report containing the survivor’s account. The survivor is also a distant relative of the priest.
“The final decision is what Church law calls suspension. It means the withdrawal of all faculties to exercise sacramental and pastoral ministry,” Father Rikardus Mangu, the diocese’s vicar general, told UCA News on July 22.
He said the sanction was based on findings that Semana had abused his authority in two unequal relationships: as a lecturer and student, and as a senior family member and younger relative.
The case, he said, violated the diocese’s safeguarding standards designed to protect vulnerable people in relationships shaped by religious, academic or family authority.
Mangu said the suspension has no fixed end date and can be lifted only by the bishop if Semana fulfills conditions set out in the decree, including repairing family relationships and his relationship with the survivor.
“The diocese will no longer cover his living expenses. Any request to lift the suspension would require documented evidence, including official records, showing that he has fulfilled those requirements,” Mangu said.
He said the canonical process took several months and included consultations with experts in canon law and psycho-spiritual formation, as well as a monthlong formation program in Java.
Mangu said the diocese is also supporting the survivor through the university, which is jointly overseen by the dioceses of Ruteng and Labuan Bajo.
“We have no intention of hiding or covering up this matter,” Mangu said, adding that recovery requires helping the survivor rebuild her life, not simply “forget the past.”
The case became public after the independent Flores-based news outlet Floresa published an investigative report on Nov. 26, 2025. A day later, the university announced Semana’s dismissal as a lecturer.
The case has not entered Indonesia’s criminal justice system because the law requires an adult victim to file a complaint before authorities can proceed.
The survivor did not respond to UCA News’ request for comment. A close friend said she is continuing her studies and trying to move forward after the intense public attention following the disclosure.
Selviana Yolanda, a women’s rights activist in Ruteng, criticized what she described as the continued special treatment of clergy, saying it contradicted the spirit of Indonesia’s Sexual Violence Crimes Law.
“The Church should not stop with one survivor who was willing to speak publicly, but should investigate whether other possible victims remain silent because of barriers, including a culture of impunity,” she told UCA News.
Yolanda urged the Church to support survivors who pursue legal action and called on Indonesia’s association of Catholic universities to review how the university handled the case, saying action came only after media exposure.
Otto Gusti Madung, rector of the Ledalero Institute of Philosophy and Creative Technology and a human rights lecturer, said the true measure of success “is not only whether the perpetrator has been sanctioned, but whether the victim obtains justice, experiences recovery, and whether the Church can build a system that prevents future abuse of power.”
He said the case should become a catalyst for structural reform, including stronger safeguarding policies, independent reporting mechanisms and education on sexual violence, consent, power relationships and victims’ rights.