MALANG (UCAN): On Eid al-Fitr, the end of the month of Ramadan, hundreds of Muslims were allowed to pray in the courtyard of Sacred Heart of Jesus church in Kayutangan, Malang, East Java province, Indonesia.
The century-old Catholic church allowed the prayers on its premises on April 10, saying that such gestures could help build brotherhood in the Muslim-majority nation.
As the nearby Grand Jami Mosque could not accommodate the festival prayer gathering, nuns, seminarians, and lay people helped Muslims organize the prayer program and greeted them later.
Carmelite Father Karmel Henrikus Suwaji, the parish priest, said the church provided the yard “because Muslims are our brothers.”
Father Suwaji said he invited seminarians and nuns to congratulate Muslims and to show “togetherness.”
Muslims have been using the church facility for their feast gatherings since 2022. The priest said that Mass was rescheduled when Eid fell on Sundays.
“We will continue with this practice to maintain togetherness,” he said.
Aris, a Muslim who goes by one name, said he opted for the church as the mosque had no space. He said he was initially hesitant, but felt encouraged as Catholics welcomed him and his family members.
“Church people helped us,” Aris said.
The church was founded in 1905 by Jesuit priest Father G.D.A. Jonckbloet when Indonesia was a Dutch colony. It is among 32 cultural heritage buildings in Malang that tourists like to visit.
In other regions like West Bangka Regency and Bangka Belitung Islands province, Catholics Youth, facilitated the Eid prayer by maintaining security along with the police.
“Catholic’s involvement strengthens harmony,” said Martinus Adi Prianto, head of the Catholic Youth in West Bangka Regency.
He said the youth group held discussions with parish priests before providing security.
Priests, nuns, and seminarians also visit Muslim families.
In Manggarai Regency, where more than 90 per cent of the population is Catholic, Regent Hery Bertus Nabit, together with vicar-general of the Diocese of Ruteng, Father Alfons Segar, visited the homes of Muslims.
