JAKARTA (Fides): “We must take decisive action against anyone who adopts intolerant behaviour, even more so when it is accompanied by violent acts that constitute criminal offenses. No one should go unpunished for committing anarchic acts, especially when they interfere with prayer and worship anywhere in Indonesian territory,” said an appeal from the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference to the central government in Jakarta following several attacks on places of worship and institutions linked to ecclesial communities in recent months.
The document was presented at a press conference at the headquarters of the Indonesian Catholic Bishops’ Conference and was also signed by other bodies such as the Supreme Council of the Confucian Religion [MATAKIN] and other Buddhist and Protestant organizations.
The appeal noted that “freedom of religion and worship is a constitutional right of citizens, guaranteed by Articles 28 and 29, Paragraph 2 of the 1945 Constitution,” and that, precisely for this reason, “the state, through law enforcement agencies and local authorities, has a duty to intervene decisively to ensure that such incidents do not recur in the future.”
Any form of intimidation, violence, or unilateral restriction of religious activities constitutes a violation of the law and a destruction of the fundamental values of living together as citizens of the same nation
This refers not only to those who oppose the construction of churches, but also to the recent attack on a Protestant Christian school and the recent destruction of several Christian places of worship. “The law enforcement and judicial authorities,” the document continues, “must prevent and thoroughly investigate any criminal, violent act of denial, obstruction, or destruction of places used by Indonesian citizens for prayer and worship.”
The representatives of all religions who signed the appeal demanded that “the government, both at the central and local levels, together with the Forum for Religious Harmony and all sectors of society, commit to upholding tolerance and ensuring that places of prayer and worship are places of peace, security, and dignity.”
Religious leaders, for their part, must “urge their believers not to be provoked by divisive incitements and to live their faith in a peaceful, harmonious, and tolerant manner.”
The document concluded, “For us, the various incidents of aggression, prohibition/refusal, and disruption of prayer and worship are a serious threat to the building of tolerance and peaceful coexistence. Any form of intimidation, violence, or unilateral restriction of religious activities constitutes a violation of the law and a destruction of the fundamental values of living together as citizens of the same nation.”
