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.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsIndonesia celebrates Christmas with prayers for Sumatra
Various churches and state officials call for Indonesian Christians to pray for victims of floods and landslides in Aceh, North Sumatra and West Sumatra during this year’s Christmas celebrations.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
People attend a Christmas service on Dec. 25 at Pancasila Square in Salatiga, Central Java. (Antara/Aloysius Jarot Nugroho)
M
illions of Indonesian Christians are celebrating Christmas on Thursday with prayers pouring in for people reeling from devastating cyclone-induced floods and landslides in northern Sumatra provinces.
In his address during the Christmas Eve Mass at the Jakarta Cathedral on Wednesday, Jakarta Archbishop Ignatius Suharyo urged for all Indonesian Catholics to pray for Sumatran provinces hit by disasters, as thousands have yet to recover from the impact of the disasters
“We must pray for our brothers and sisters who are facing hardships due to disasters, particularly in West Sumatra, North Sumatra and Aceh,” Suharyo said, adding that parishes across the country have been collecting donations for survivors.
Churches across the country echoed similar prayers.
At least 4,000 people attended a Christmas Eve Mass on Wednesday at the St. Thomas Church in Depok, West Java, where Catholic priest Vincentius Peter Ardi urged the mass to include prayers for Sumatra.
The Diocese of Amboina in Maluku’s provincial capital of Ambon has decided to forego its Christmas open house. Funds usually allocated for the annual feast were redirected to support northern Sumatra relief efforts, as reported by Antara state news agency.
