Santo Antonio (movement)

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Santo Antonio ( Indonesian Yayasan Santo Antionius ) was a quasi-religious group that was founded in 1983 in Dili , in East Timor , which was then occupied by Indonesia . The founder was Ananias do Carmo Fuka . He received support from his friends André da Costa Belo , Alario Lopes Carvalho, Eurico Guterres and Jaime dos Santos and others.

Fuka was of the opinion that religious matters should not only be implemented in rituals but also in everyday life, for example when healing the sick. The name of St. Antonius chose the group because he is considered a helper with illnesses. The Catholic saint is also popular in East Timor through Portuguese history. As their goal, the group named "to strengthen faith in Jesus, to practice the teachings of St. Anthony and to help the sick." The foundation itself had 34 members and dozens of followers. The members were divided into three groups, each with a leader, who in turn were subordinate to Fuka. Each member wore a cross tattoo, on the back of the hand between thumb and forefinger. For this purpose, the hand was cut with a razor blade and the grinding ashes of burned figs were scattered into the wound. During their healing rituals, they stood in a circle in front of a crucifix , a glass of water and two burning candles. Then they read a prayer and the sick man was asked to drink the water.

The group is said to have been involved in a failed attempt to assassinate Indonesia's dictator Suharto during his visit to Dili in 1988 . Eurico Guterres was arrested by the Bakin Military Intelligence Agency and from then on worked for the Indonesians. He is considered one of the worst leaders of the pro-Indonesian militias , which were responsible for the deaths of 1,500 to 2,000 people in the 1999 wave of violence . André da Costa Belo co-founded the Sagrada Família in 1989 , another religious group that was considered to be close to the resistance against the Indonesians.

Dili's Bishop Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo strongly condemned the group's activities, prompting Indonesian security forces to arrest dozens of Fuka's supporters in Dili, Baucau , Viqueque and Lospalos . In 1989, Fuka was sentenced to six months in prison by the Dili District Court for founding a sect that violated Catholic teachings and was closer to shamanism.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Tempo: Sect leucon Santo Antonius , April 1, 1989 , accessed on August 9, 2020.
  2. ^ A b International Crises Group: Timor-Leste's Veterans: An Unfinished Struggle? , Update Briefing, Asia Briefing N ° 129Dili / Jakarta / Brussels, November 18, 2011 , accessed on August 9, 2020.
  3. ↑ Hamish McDonald et al .: Masters of Terror: Indonesia's Military and Violence in East Timor , CANBERRA PAPERS ONSTRATEGY & DEFENSE NO. 145, Australian National University, 2002 , accessed August 9, 2020.