The Franciscan community in Indonesia is mourning the death of Fr. Nico Syukur Dister, OFM, a Dutch missionary priest, philosopher, and longtime educator in Papua. He passed away on April 12, 2026, in his homeland, the Netherlands, at the age of 87.
“My Franciscan Superior asked me, ‘Are you willing to go to Jakarta?’ I immediately replied, ‘With great pleasure,’” recalls the priest, now one of Indonesia’s most respected biblical scholars.
