TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
People return to church for Easter as pandemic recedes
Change Size
Easter mood: A student decorates an Easter egg at the Widya Tama school for children with special needs in Surabaya, East Java, on April 14. (Antara/Patrik Cahyo Lumintu)
E
aster celebrations went smoothly with people returning to church as the coronavirus pandemic recedes, despite the number of church visitors still being limited.
Cardinal Ignatius Suharyo, who presided over the Easter Sunday mass at Jakarta Cathedral in Central Jakarta, said that he was grateful that the pandemic subsided after two years, and that people could attend the church again.
“I am very happy to see families who come to church with children. Yesterday [Saturday], many children asked [me] to sign their church attendance forms, something we haven't seen for two years," he said, encouraging people to participate in further controlling the spread of COVID-19.
In the sermon, he also reminded people about religious tolerance and encouraged them to take a role in instilling religious moderation.
"If that happens, the history of our nation will become clearer as a history of liberation, freed from exclusive and intolerant characters, growing into an inclusive and tolerant society. That is the real Easter," he said.
Read also: Indonesia condemns ‘violent actions’ against Palestinians at Al-Aqsa Mosque compound
Separately on Sunday, Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan also raised the topic of the importance of tolerance and respect for diversity during his visit to an Easter celebration at the Protestant Church in Western Indonesia (GPIB) Immanuel, also in Central Jakarta.
