On Palm Sunday, an explosion rocked a Roman Catholic church in Makassar, Indonesia,. This sad event occurred in the early hours of the morning and it disrupted the event that marked the holy day for Christians.
According to a spokesman of the Indonesia National Police, no church member dieD but about 14 person sustained injuries. Presently, they were receiving medical attention at Makassar hospital. Although the explosion is still under investigation, President Joko Widodo affirmed that it was a terrorist attack.
The police spokesman, Inspector General Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono, confirmed the incident stating that the explosion occurred at the gate to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral compound at about 10:20a.m.
Yuwono pointed out that the church security personnel stopped two persons on a motorcycle who they suspected may have evil intentions at the cathedral immediately Mass ended. Besides, he stated that several body parts were seen around the site. However, the police is not yet certain if they were that of the persons on the motorcycle.
Indonesia network, Metro TV reports that a priest at the cathedral, Father Wilhelmus Tulak, informed them that as a parking attendant tried to halt the two motorcycles, they were burned. The mayor of Makassar, Mohammad Ramadhan Pomanto, also reported that the body parts were spread far from each other.
Indonesia is a Muslim dominated country with a minority of Christians. The president who had tagged the explosion as an act of terrorism stated that the state is committed to protecting religious people so that they can worship without fear. Also, he gave orders to the police to investigate the connection of the culprits and dismember them.
In the past years, churches in Indonesia have come under terrorist attacks especially the Roman Catholic Church. However, the Makassar explosion has been condemned by the Indonesian council of Muslim clerics. They described the event as inhumane and negate the teaching of all faiths practiced in the country. More so, the council advised that the explosion should not be attached to any particular religion.
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