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People return to church for Easter as pandemic recedes
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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.
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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.
