SURABAYA, INDONESIA — Local officials in Indonesia have disrupted a wedding ceremony and banned the church from continuing to worship at the site, sources said.
Last Sunday, in Mergosari, Tarik district, Sidoarjo regency on Java island, village headman Eko Budi Santoso interrupted the wedding at the site of the Pentecostal Church of Indonesia (Gereja Pentekosta di Indonesia, or GPdI) and banned them from meeting, saying the congregation did not have a building permit and that local residents opposed their church, local media reported.
Residents of the region, in the Muslim-majority country, reportedly said they were not opposed to the church having worship in the “House of Prayer,” a structure that does not have the function or characteristics of a religious building.
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Refusing to allow the congregation to complete the wedding and worship, Eko and five state officials took Pastor Yoab Setiawan to a roadside stand to tell him they were responding to public complaints about the existence of the prayer house and the lack of a permit, according to news outlet radarsidoarjo.jawapos.com.
A video produced by the Hagios Legal Aid Institute (Lembaga Bantuan Hukum, or LBH) shows Pastor Setiawan telling authorities that they could first ban the prostitution that takes place in front of the village headquarters. The pastor’s wife, Lidya Laviyanti, reportedly apologized and pleaded with the authorities. “We are not causing any trouble, sir. We are sorry, we ask for your understanding. We come from everywhere. We are a minority group. Our congregation is small. So please understand me.”
The village head, Eko, addressing the head of the community association and the head of the neighbourhood association, said that all activities must first obtain permission from the ‘neighbourhood’.
Pastor Setiawan and his wife asked him which activities should be approved first, and Eko replied, “All activities. Period,” and ended the discussion.
The Prayer House is registered through a local government reporting certificate signed by the head of the regional Christian Community Orientation Office, Luki Krispriyanto, on December 7, 2023, according to International Christian Concern (ICC), which said Eko admitted he was not aware of the certificate.
In a meeting with the warring parties at the Mergosari village head’s office, 16 km from Surabaya, on Monday, the acting regent of Sidoarjo, identified only as Subandi, supported the ban on the site but said congregation members could worship at home, according to Celah.id.
Officials at the meeting concluded that the church needed to obtain a building permit, which they said they wanted to do quickly. They gave a deadline of one month to obtain the permit.
“Until the permits are issued, you can practice your religion at home,” Subandi said Tuesday, according to celah.id. “This does not mean that you do not have the right to practice your religion.”
Stating that residents welcomed the construction of a place of worship and supported tolerance between religious communities, Subandi suggested that the parties establish good communication between them.
A local resident said he was not disturbed by the congregation’s worship activities, according to detik.com. Even when hundreds of people were present, the residents welcomed them with pleasure, said the resident, identified as Mulyati, 53. Another resident, Agus Febro, 25, said residents, especially the youth, never felt any disturbance due to the prayer house’s Sunday activities.
Bonar Tigor Naipospos, vice president of the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, a human rights organization, said the case was “a clear sign of the state’s subordination to the will of intolerant groups.”
“Local political constellations and electoral interests, in order to gain the support of the masses, push public officials to choose sides and respond to the demands of intolerant groups,” Bonar told Morning Star News. “They intentionally ignore them, even though this is considered a violation of the constitution.”
Indonesia ranks 42nd on the 2024 list of the 50 most difficult countries to be a Christian by Christian advocacy organization Open Doors. Indonesian society has adopted a more conservative Islamic character and churches involved in evangelism are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to the WWL report.
Originally published on Morning Star News
