The Local Church in the Light of Magisterium Teaching on Mission: A Case in Point: the ArchDiocese of Semarang-Indonesia (1940-1981)

Reacting to the impact of World War I, Pope Benedict XV created a pastoral letter Maximum Illud (1919) to stimulate the creation of the local hieratichy on mission area. Afterward there appeared similar documents of various kind. Meanwhile, in the 1950s various local churches were accused of being agents of colonialism. Added to this problem, was a demand to realize aggiornamento of the Church after Vatican Coucil II.In such situations, policies of the native bishops were important to the development of the local Church.