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Another churchless Christmas for GKI Yasmin, HKBP Filadelfia
Still locked out: Members of the HKBP Filadelfia (Bekasi) and GKI Yasmin hold their Christmas services in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday
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Still locked out: Members of the HKBP Filadelfia (Bekasi) and GKI Yasmin hold their Christmas services in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday. They have appealed to the government to examine the current regulations regarding the closing of churches and other places of worship.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama) (Bekasi) and GKI Yasmin hold their Christmas services in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday. They have appealed to the government to examine the current regulations regarding the closing of churches and other places of worship.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
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span class="inline inline-center">Still locked out: Members of the HKBP Filadelfia (Bekasi) and GKI Yasmin hold their Christmas services in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Friday. They have appealed to the government to examine the current regulations regarding the closing of churches and other places of worship.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
While most people celebrating Christmas did so peacefully in their respective churches in Greater Jakarta on Friday, parishioners of the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin and the Filadelfia Batak Church (HKBP Filadelfia) once again celebrated Christmas without a roof due to prolonged disputes with their local administrations regarding their houses of worship.
Around 250 members of the two congregations held their Christmas services, with only hats and umbrellas to protect them from bright sunlight on Friday afternoon at around 2 p.m., across from the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta for the third consecutive year, since their church buildings in Bogor and Bekasi respectively, were denied permits by their local administrations.
'We've actually invited and prepared a chair for President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo,' said GKI Yasmin spokesman Bona Sigalingging, pointing to a red plastic chair decorated with Christmas ornaments. 'We hope that he will come.'
Jokowi, however, had not shown up by the time the services ended at around 5 p.m.
Since 2012, GKI Yasmin and HKBP Filadelfia have held biweekly joint services outside the Presidential Palace seeking the President's intervention to open their churches.
The Bogor city administration issued a decree freezing the GKI church's building permit (IMB) in February 2008 in response to local opposition. Bandung State Administrative Court (PTUN) and the State Administrative High Court in Jakarta have both ordered the administration to revoke the decree. The Supreme Court also ruled in favor of GKI Yasmin in 2010.
Then Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto complied with the ruling by revoking the decree. However, three days later, Diani revoked the IMB instead, thus leaving the church with no permit at all. Meanwhile HKBP Filadelfia faced a similar problem in 2010 when the Bekasi administration suddenly sealed off the location upon which their church was to be built.
Both Bandung and Jakarta PTUN as well as the Supreme Court ruled in favor of HKBP Filadelfia in 2011.
However, the congregations have still not returned to their churches as both administrations have defied the rulings.
In Friday's service, HKBP Filadelfia member Donny Siburian said he and other church members were actually tired of holding services across from the Presidential Palace.
'Nonetheless, we realize that we are struggling not only for us [the two congregations] but also for other people in this country, who cannot praise God in their own houses of worship,' Donny said.
On the same day, the Jakarta Police deployed around 400 officers to ensure security at Christmas mass at the Jakarta Cathedral and Friday prayers at Istiqlal Grand Mosque, both in Central Jakarta.
Sawah Besar subprecinct police chief Comr. Ronald Purba said traffic was congested in the afternoon due to the large number of vehicles on the roads as Friday prayers and Christmas mass both ended at the same time.
Meanwhile, Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama monitored Christmas Eve services on Thursday night by visiting a number of churches across the city.
Ahok visited four churches namely Yohanes Maria Vianne Church in East Jakarta, as well as GPIB Paulus Church, GPIB Immanuel and the Cathedral in Central Jakarta.
'I want to wish everyone a merry Christmas, and please pray for a better Jakarta,' Ahok told churchgoers during his visit to the Cathedral.
He was accompanied by a number of officials including Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Tito Karnavian. Ahok told reporters that he hoped religious leaders could follow the example of late president Abdurrahman 'Gus Dur' Wahid, who was known as a cleric of pluralism.
'No religion promotes hatred [...] and the Prophet Muhammad never spoke ill of Jesus. So I hope we can all live in peace,' he said.
At the same time, Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat also visited two churches, Salib Suci and Tugu churches in North Jakarta, to monitor Christmas Eve services. (agn)
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