Explosion At Makassar Cathedral Church, PGI Chairperson Calls For People To Stay Calm

JAKARTA - A suicide bomb explosion occurred at the Makassar Cathedral, South Sulawesi. At the time of the incident, a number of church congregations were said to be worshiping at the Church.

General Chairperson of the Indonesian Churches Association (PGI), Gomar Gultom, expressed his deep sorrow for the injured victims of the bomb explosion that occurred. Reverend Gultom said the bomb explosion incident added to the long list of acts of violence and terror that occurred in the archipelago.

"I urge all people to remain calm and fully entrust the handling of this problem to the relevant authorities. I urge all people not to be afraid and anxious, but to remain vigilant," he said in a written statement received by VOI, Sunday, March 28.

According to Gomar, the incident was very sad because it occurred when Christians in Indonesia were celebrating Sunday Palmarum, which refers to the incident when Jesus entered Jerusalem by driving a jennet.

Through this, said Gomar, Jesus was building the perception of Himself as the Messiah, the gentle, humble, and life-giving Prince of Peace.

"He did not come with power, strength, let alone violence to fight and destroy lives. It is in such a spirit of gentleness that I invite Christians to face this incident while praying for the peace of our society," he said.

It is known that the explosion occurred at around 10:28 a.m. local time. The National Police deployed the Counterterrorism Special Detachment 88 (Densus 88)  and other units to handle the incident of the alleged suicide bombing at the Cathedral Church in Makassar.