President Joko Widodo paid a visit to the headquarters of the Bishop’s Conference of Indonesia (KWI) in Jakarta on August 24. Widodo was welcomed by KWI president Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo of Jakarta, secretary-general Bishop Antonius Subianto Bunjamin of Bandung and 8 other bishops. “In the meeting, I talked about issues related to the Pancasila [the Read more
As there has been an increase in violence committed against parishes throughout Indonesia, Church officials in the country have urged Catholics to be vigilant, especially during Holy Week. “We call on each parish and mission station to stay alert ahead of the observance of Holy Week and Easter,” said Father Felix Astono Atmojo, vicar-general of Read more
Muslim activists in Indonesia want police to charge one of their hard-line clerics with blasphemy. They have joined Catholic students who accuse the cleric of insulting Christianity. They accuse the leader of the Islamic Defenders Front, Rizieq Syihab, of mocking Christians following a sermon on Christmas Day. He reportedly said, “If God gave birth, then Read more
Nightly candlelight vigils have been held in cities across Indonesia since Tuesday when the governor of the capital Jakarta, Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, was found guilty and sentenced to two years prison. Indonesians abroad also held vigils in cities including Amsterdam, Toronto and Melbourne, Australia. Months of huge protests against Ahok by Islamic hardliners and Read more
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, Jakarta’s first Christian governor, has conceded defeat to Anies Rasyid Baswedan, a Muslim and former government minister in a vote seen by many as a test of Indonesia’s secular identity. “It’s a challenge for Indonesia’s democracy,” said Bonar Tigor Naipospos, vice chairman of the executive board of the Setara Institute for Democracy Read more
An estimated 5,000 Papuans, including members of the pro-independence National Committee for West Papua, activists and university students as well as seminarians, staged a rally calling for independence in Jayapura, Papua province, on April 13. Peaceful demonstrations supporting Papuan independence were held in several parts on the predominantly Christian Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Read more
Last week Indonesia’s National police chief Sutarman said extremists may be planning terror attackson Christians at Christmas and New Year celebrations in Jakarta and other parts of the country. “The terrorists have cells everywhere and they are active. We are continuing to pursue them,” Sutarman, told reporters in Jakarta. Since 2000, when improvised bombs disguised as Read more
Violence against Christians in Indonesia continues with a number of new incidents occurring last week. On Thursday, the congregation of the Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) in Taman Sari, Setu district in Bekasi regency, watched the local administration demolish their unfinished church building. The congregation formed a barrier between their church and the idling bulldozer. They Read more
JAKARTA: A mob of 600 Islamic hardliners threw plastic bags filled with urine at an Indonesian Christians who were celebrating the ascension of Christ, a lawyer said on Friday. The attack, during which stones and dirt were also hurled, occurred on Thursday as around 100 Christians prepared to hold a service at a church in Read more