By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Indonesia’s Catholic bishops have expressed concern about mounting anti-Christian violence in the world’s largest Muslim nation. They urged the central government in Jakarta to act decisively “against all forms of intolerance, particularly when accompanied by violence,” which, they stressed, “constitutes a criminal offense.”
The bishops referred to the “destruction of several Christian places of worship and a raid on a Protestant school” in which several Christians were reportedly injured.
Among the most disturbing recent incidents, a Muslim hard-line group attacked a Sunday School in West Sumatra province around July 27, injuring two children.
The victims were left “physically harmed and deeply traumatized,” explained Reverend Etika Saragih, executive secretary of the Protestant Communion of Churches in Indonesia’s Justice and Peace Commission.
“Some 30 children attending the Sunday School were left traumatized by the sudden attack on July 27 at Padang Sarai Village, Padang City,” added Pastor Fatiaro Dachi of the Anugrah Padang Indonesian Christian Church (GKSI).
Dachi said the attackers were armed with knives and sticks and threw stones while demanding that the children leave immediately.
The two injured children, aged 11 and 9, were struck with wooden sticks and required hospital treatment. “They smashed glass windows, broke chairs, and damaged items inside the prayer house,” Dachi told reporters. Saragih warned that the psychological impact on the children’s future should not be underestimated.
MUSLIMS STORM RETREAT
Just a month earlier, on June 27, some 200 Muslims stormed a Christian youth retreat held at a private home in Tangkil Village, Sukabumi area, West Java province, several sources confirmed.
The mob vandalized property—including a cross and surrounding structures—and forced the evacuation of attendees, according to footage seen by Worthy News.
Christians said police and soldiers were present at the scene but failed to prevent the violence. However, the West Java governor has reportedly called for legal proceedings against those responsible.
Christian leaders and human rights advocates have also urged authorities to investigate a recent spate of grave desecrations targeting Christians.
They said these acts are “being downplayed” as isolated incidents rather than “recognized as religiously motivated hate crimes.”
According to the Jakarta-based Setara Institute, Indonesia recorded 3,217 violations of religious freedom between 2014 and 2024, including attacks against Christians.
The Catholic Bishops of Indonesia have appealed to both “law enforcement and judicial authorities” to “prevent and thoroughly investigate every act of violence, refusal, obstruction, or destruction of places used for prayer.”
“COMMITTING ANARCHIC ACTS”
In remarks distributed by the Vatican’s Fides News Agency, the bishops stressed that “no one should go unpunished if they commit anarchic acts, especially if they target prayer and worship activities in any part of Indonesia.”
Their appeal, presented at the Bishops’ Conference headquarters, was also signed by the Supreme Council for the Confucian Religion (MATAKIN) and by Buddhist and Protestant representatives, “reflecting a united stand among Indonesia’s faith communities,” the Vatican said.
The joint statement recalled that freedom of religion and worship is enshrined in Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution and guaranteed under Articles 28 and 29.
“It therefore affirms the duty of the State, through law enforcement and local authorities, to intervene firmly to ensure such episodes are not repeated,” they said.
“Safeguarding religious freedom requires the commitment of all: government institutions, the [official] Forum for Religious Harmony (FKUB), and society at large,” added the Vatican’s news service.
The bishops insisted that places of worship must always remain “spaces of peace, security, and dignity” and urged religious leaders to encourage their faithful “not to be provoked by divisive rhetoric ” but to live their “faith in peace, harmony, and tolerance.”
It was a veiled reference to the growing influence of Islamic extremism in Indonesia, where people identifying as Christian comprise nearly 11 percent of the nation’s 282 million residents, according to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Several church leaders told Worthy News that the actual number of Christians may be much higher due to reported mass conversions among Muslims. Yet, the bishops concluded, “Each episode of aggression, prohibition, or disruption of prayer is a serious blow to the construction of tolerance and peaceful coexistence.”
“Any act of intimidation, violence, or unilateral restriction of religious activities violates the law and undermines the fundamental values of life together as citizens of the same nation,” they wrote.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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