JAKARTA (AsiaNews): During the ordination ceremony to the priesthood of Reverend Robertus Asiyanto in Flores, Indonesia, his Muslim mother, Sites Asiyah, dressed in full hijab, walked to the altar and laid hands on him in prayer.

“I’m really happy to see my son ordained a Catholic priest,” she said at the end of the celebration.

His adoptive father and the rest of the family were also present at the ordination ceremony, which took place in the Major Seminary of Maumere on October 12.

Eleven deacons from the Divine Word Missionary Society were ordained priests by Archbishop Vincensius Poto Kota Pr.

In Central Java, it is not uncommon for men and women from Muslim families to become Catholic and even join the religious life.