Polemic Of Church Building Sealed, Purwakarta Regency Government Facilitates Congregational Places Of Worship

Head of the Purwakarta Ministry of Religion, Sopian. (ANTARA)

PURWAKARTA - The government and the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) of Purwakarta Regency, will facilitate places of worship for the congregation of the Protestant Christian Church Simalungun (GKPS) Purwakarta following the sealing of the building where they worship. "We will coordinate with the Purwakarta Regency Government to facilitate the GKPS congregation to carry out worship, moreover it will face Easter Day," said the Head of the Purwakarta Ministry of Religion, Sopian, quoted by ANTARA, Wednesday, April 5. Previously, an unlicensed building commonly used by the place of worship of a number of GKPS congregations was closed or sealed by the Purwakarta Regency Government on Saturday afternoon, April 1, 2023. Unlicensed building in Cigalam Village, Babakanciao District, Purwakarta it was misused for two years into a house of worship or sealing it was the result of agreement taken in the Purwakarta Regency Government Coordination Meeting, Forkopimda, MUI, Ministry of Religion, Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB), Purwakarta Church-Gerja Cooperation Agency (BKSG) and representatives of GKPS congregations. The decision to close unlicensed buildings into houses of worship was taken to avoid the occurrence of social unrest that had already emerged through local residents' objections. Sopian said that if the Purwakarta GKPS congregation wanted to have their own place of worship, then they had to follow the applicable rules, namely the Joint Regulation of the Minister of Religion and the Minister of Home Affairs Number 9 of 2006 and Number 8 of 2006. "For the establishment of houses of worship has been regulated through the Joint Regulation of the Minister of Religion and the Minister of Home Affairs Number 9 and 8 of the Minister of the Republic of 2006," he said. Despite the sealing, now Kemenag and Regency Government will facilitate them to continue to worship. Purwakarta Regent Anne Ratna Mustika said that his party would help to coordinate with other churches so that the assembly of the Protestant Symalunggun Christian Church could still be able to worship well.

In Purwakarta, there are 19 churches that can be used by the congregation of the Protestant Christian Church Simalungun to worship. Of that number, three churches are in the same sub-district as the locations of illegal buildings that have been used, namely in Babakancikoo District. "We will help coordinate so that they can worship in these churches. Because their right as citizens to worship according to their religion we will protect and protect them. That is in accordance with our constitutional mandate," said the regent.