Being Renovated, Istiqlal Does Not Provide Parking Space For Cathedral Congregants
JAKARTA - Istiqlal Mosque cannot provide parking bags for visitors to the Cathedral Church celebrating Christmas in 2019. Usually, Istiqlal always provides parking space for Christians.
Public Relations of the Istiqlal Mosque, Abu Hurairah explained, the reason his party could not provide a parking lot was because the Istiqlal area was being renovated. Istiqlal renovation is expected to be completed in March 2020.
"This year Istiqlal is being renovated again. So those of you who want to worship at the cathedral cannot park their vehicles at Istiqlal," said Abu when confirmed, Thursday, December 19.
The Istiqlal parking lot is currently being used to lay heavy vehicles for renovation projects. Since long ago, Abu had conveyed this news to the cathedral manager. The cathedral has also directly checked the condition of Istiqlal renovations.
"We have told them in advance. On the Youth Pledge day, we have a joint committee, they already know for themselves, they have seen the project in Istiqlal directly," he explained.
Even so, Abu invited visitors to the Cathedral who wanted to take advantage of the bathroom and rest. They can enter Istiqlal through a door located near Juanda Station.
"At Christmas there are several services, those who come first may want to rest in the mosque while waiting for the service hour," said Abu.
On a separate occasion, Head of the Central Jakarta Transportation Agency, Harlem Simanjuntak, appealed to Cathedral visitors to take advantage of other parking lots that have been provided. Given that, it is certain that the cathedral parking lot cannot accommodate the entire congregation.
"Alternative parking locations include the Banteng Field area, Pasar Baru Post Office, and Hotel Borobudur," said Harlem.
For information, the Cathedral announced the schedule for the 2019 Christmas Eve Mass on Tuesday, December 24, at 16.30 WIB, 19.30 WIB, and 22.00 WIB. On Wednesday, December 25, the Christmas Day Mass is set at 07.00 WIB, 09.00 WIB, 11.00 WIB, and 17.00 WIB.