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Good Friday observed peacefully in Denpasar
Good Friday: Catholics participate in Good Friday mass at the Denpasar Cathedral
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Good Friday: Catholics participate in Good Friday mass at the Denpasar Cathedral. (JP/Niken Prathivi)
Amid the bustling post-election atmosphere, the Holy Spirit Parish congregation commemorated the death of Jesus Christ in a solemn ceremony held Friday at the imposing Denpasar Cathedral in Renon. Some 8,000 worshippers attended the mass officiated by Father Kristianus Ratu SVD.
The full Easter ceremony started on Thursday and ends on Sunday.
The recitation of the Holy Story on Jesus’s death at 3 p.m. marked the beginning of the afternoon mass as Catholics flowed into the inner sanctum of the largest cathedral in the predominantly Hindu island.
A similar mass had been conducted earlier in the morning.
Adult Catholics followed the religious proceedings inside the cathedral’s main section, which has a seating capacity of 2,500, while the children had quiet fun playing in the cathedral’s spacious yard. One of the organizers, Puniarta, said there were double the attendants than at the usual mass.
“In the weekly mass, we usually have less than 4,000 worshippers. But on such a special religious day,
it is a common thing for the cathedral to accommodate a larger congregation.”
Puniarta further said the cathedral had 10 bomb-squad personnel, seven village security guards and 35 church security officers on stand-by in each mass.
“So far, we are commemorating Easter and Good Friday in a peaceful atmosphere,” he added.
Ari, a Balinese Hindu who lives near the cathedral, said she respected the right of any religion to organize religious ceremonies.
“Although we are the majority here, we don’t mind those with different religions conducting their religious activities, including this Good Friday,” she said.
“We tolerate such matters. All religious followers are free to conduct their rituals peacefully.”
With a total population of 3,151,000 in 2005, the island is home to the vast majority of the country’s Hindus. Some 93.18 percent of Bali’s population are Balinese Hindu, while 4.79 per-
cent are Muslim, 1.38 percent are Christian, and 0.64 percent are Buddhist.
