This is a beautiful gesture, but if it is intended to show good will and build good relationships with the local Muslims, it will not work. Islamic supremacists see gestures of good will as signs of weakness, and they only make them regard the giver with contempt. Nor will this gesture be reciprocated; we see Christians all over the world making good will gestures to Muslims, but we never see them returned in kind.
“For Eid, Catholics change their Mass timetable to leave carparks free for Muslim ‘brothers,'” by Mathias Hariyadi, Asia News, June 24, 2017:
Jakarta (AsiaNews) – In a sign of respect for Muslim fellow citizens, some Indonesian churches will “reschedule” masses to facilitate the celebration of the Islamic Eid festival (Idul Fitri or Lebaran in Indonesian), which will be held tomorrow, June 25th. The reason for this decision is to avoid traffic chaos and as a sign of solidarity with Muslim “brothers”.
In Jakarta the cathedral and the large Istiqlal mosque are located in the same area. For years now, the two religious communities use the facilities of both structures for their religious celebrations: Catholics use the car parks on the weekend, while Muslims do the same for Friday’s prayer.
However, this year the Idul Fitri celebrations, which take place on Sunday, may cause confusion. For this reason the parish administration of the Catholic cathedral has decided to “omit” two Sunday morning mases. A diocesan leaflet explains the reasons: “To show respect and tolerance to our Muslim brothers and to meet their need to have more room to pray during Idul Fitri’s celebration, our weekly morning masses will be scheduled for 10 am and 12 “. In the cathedral, masses are usually held at 6, 7:30, 9 and 11.
Such a decision was made by Tanjungkarang Cathedral in Lampung Province, Sumatera. The pastor Fr. Sujanto says that instead of morning mass at 6:30 and 8:30, it will be celebrated only at 9:30.
In Pamekasan, in the eastern Java Madura Island, Fr. Damian Fadjar Tedjo Soekarno of the parish of Our Lasy Queen of the Apostles told AsiaNews that Sunday’s masses will not be celebrated, but “we will have one on Saturday evening.” In Madura, Christians and Catholics are a minority.
Another initiative is a video message by Msgr. Ignatius Suharyo, Archbishop of Jakarta, and President of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, expressing his wishes to all Indonesian Muslims in view of the annual celebration of Idul Fitri. Msgr. Vincentius Sutikno Wisaksono Pr, bishop of Surabaya, also extended greetings to all Muslim fellow citizens….
Eur says
Probably Muslims will thank this gesture killing infidels with something more softness
john spielman says
yes it will concentrate the infidel Catholics making a bomb blast more effective in wiping unbelievers off the face of the earth!
Oliver says
Actually, this is really good for the Muslims.
The Catholics who normally would go to say the two early masses ( first church mentioned, in Jakarta) and the 9 :00 will probably all go to the 10:)) Mass. More people-one homicide bomber can kill more people at one shot that way. Otherwise, no matter which service he (or she) would bomb-would miss many of the Catholics.
Same with the other churches.
Making it easy to be killed.
mortimer says
Oliver has a good point. Suicide bombers want to attack places where there will no Muslims or very few Muslims.
The best way to avoid being targets is for the Christians to have important Muslims around them all the time.
Shone says
It is over now. We just have to wait for agony to begin. The unholy trinity of the left-ards and and other so called progressives (Money, Tolerance, Profit) is cancer that have metastasized. There is no cure any more, except total chaos in decaying civilized society that we once were, and now we are no more. Places like this, some youtube channels, people brave enough to tell the truth will be those guardians of the civilization to be, if any would arise from the corpse of deceased culture. The killers will see fruits of their lunacy very soon. The plague that arise in the 7th century is about to take over the place of a Black Death in death toll. The rats are again carriers of the plague, but unlike the medieval plague, the carriers walk on two legs, and they look like us. But all the other is the same….
John A. Marre says
How sweet and how nice. Too bad they won’t do anything nice in return.
G Money says
Muslims guard churches in Indonesia every Christmas and this has been going on for many years. It is true that Islamic extremism has become more prominent in recent years in Indonesia (which unfortunately has lead to an increased need for protection of churches), but to imply that goodwill there is a one-way street is simply wrong.
Benedict says
The Catholics are accommodating the cuckoo religion of Muslims, and the catholics will also take good care of the chicken when hatched. And the chicken will grow up to be a wolf that gratefully will take good care of the Catholics and dislodge them and dispose them at THEIR “car parking”.
I can’t help thinking if not the Catholic Church in its stupidity deserves this treatment?
somehistory says
Will this be repaid by the moslums using a sharper knife so they don’t have to saw back and forth when beheading? Will they use a stronger, larger bomb so the building will go down completely, making clean up safer for those who miss the explosion.
Throwing pearls before swine. Helping moslums will not keep them safe, nor their hands clean when those having free parking go on their killing spree.
Monty says
Indonesia is majority Muslim and increasingly becoming less tolerant of non-Muslims. There have been many violent attacks on Christians by Muslims, especially in Aceh province where Sharia law is in force. Of course most of the world, including the Catholic church, turns a blind eye to such attacks. Indonesia is held up as an example of how Muslims and non-Muslims can co-exist. That co-existence is very much under threat. Islam has been flexing its muscle for decades now. The West blithely ignores the threat and even facilitates its own demise as Islam becomes more entrenched. Well, no one will be able to say that they were not warned.
Lydia says
There is the difference between loving your enemies (where spiritual things are at work) as we are commanded to do (and there are results, seen or unseen, but even if not), and just being a plain fool.
: D
There can be no room for any form of compromise, of unity, of solidarity, or of participation in or condoning of their religion. We do not ‘meet in the middle,’ or ‘seek common ground,’ or any of that. That is joining in with them, which we cannot do. Plus, if you give an inch, they will take a mile and all of that. They should not go out of their way to make room, or go out of their way to take the parking spaces up out of spite. In cases like this, they should have just left their schedule alone.
What they did looks like a white flag of retreat.
CogitoErgoSum says
I’m afraid someone is jumping the gun here, so to speak. I may call some Muslims my friends but I cannot truly refer to Muslims as my brothers (or sisters) until they have been baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and are “reborn” into the Church So when do the Muslims of Indonesia begin their RCIA classes so that they may eventually be baptized and then receive the Holy Eucharist and become a part of the body of Christ? I think Indonesia will need more churches to be built to accommodate my new brothers and sisters.
I’m not joking. If I am wrong could someone please point out where exactly I am wrong?
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
Just like stepping off the sidewalk when a Mohammadan comes your way. Modern dhimmitude in action.
william says
islamb is a cult of peace. When they’ve taken over the world,, and every knee is bent & bowing to them,, then there will be peace.. In islamb,, there are no innocent women & children..
Tony says
Turn the other cheek!
Minutes1234 says
IDIOTS !!!!!!!!!