Jakarta’s Catholic history out on display

Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 05/20/2010 10:49 AM

One small piece of yellowed paper has become one of the biggest attractions at the Cathedral Museum, Central Jakarta, for the sinister message it carries: “We will shoot the Pope in the neck”.

The letter, which was sent to Jakarta Cathedral several weeks before Pope John Paul II’s visit to Indonesia in 1989, is among the collection of hundreds of historic items on display at the cathedral’s current exhibition.

Located on the second floor of the Jakarta Cathedral, the museum, which was inaugurated in 1991, tells the history of the Catholic church in Indonesia.

Some of the oldest items include several 200-year-old books on baptismal registration during Dutch-colonial era, a 17th-century clock that also tells the day and date and a series of photos documenting the cathedral’s construction in 1901.

However, the museum’s most famous item may be an image of the cathedral painted on dried banana leaves by Kusni Kadut, a criminal who made headlines in the 60s after committing a series of antique art robberies, including one in 1961 from the National Museum, Central Jakarta.

Kusni, a paramilitary during the Indonesia’s war of independence, was finally sentenced to death in 1980, after robbing and killing an Arab businessman in Kebon Sirih area, Central Jakarta. He converted to Catholicism while in jail.

Despite its extensive collection, the museum has only seen a few visitors due to limited opening hours and a lack of promotion.

According to Hadi Wahyu, one of the museum’s caretakers, the museum is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Every third Sunday of the month, the museum is open between 12 noon and 2 p.m.

“Even members of the cathedral’s congregation haven’t visited the museum,” Hadi told The Jakarta Post.

The cathedral’s spokeswoman Graece Tanus suggested would-be visitors or tourists groups contact the cathedral if they wanted to stop by in its museum or requesting tour guide assistance.

“Only four people are assigned to handle the museum and the opening hours are tight. So we want to make sure that all visitors receive good service,” she said.

“It’s all free,” Graece added.

Earlier this year, the Culture and Tourism Ministry launched the “2010 Visit Museums Year” campaign to promote the country’s cultural sites.