Pope Francis has named Capuchin Fr. Samuel Oton Sidin as bishop of Sintang, Indonesia.
He was born in 1954 in Pontianak, Indonesia, gave his religious vows in 1982, and was ordained a priest in 1984. He completed his philosophical and theological studies in the interdiocesan major seminary of Pematangsiantar in Medan, Sumatra, and holds a licentiate in spirituality from the Pontifical University Antonianum, Rome.
He has served as parish vicar, deputy master and master of novices, minister of the province of Capuchin Fathers in Pontianak, director of the Rumah Pelangi House and head of planning for forest conservation, and minister of the Capuchin Province of Pontianak. He is currently pastor of the St. Francis of Assisi parish in Tebet, Jakarta.
The Diocese of Sintang has a population of close to 1 million with some 250,000 Catholics. They are served by about 70 priests and the same number of religious.
