5,000 Congregants Fill Fatahillah Park for Easter, Rano Karno Highlights Tolerance
JAKARTA – As many as 5,000 congregants attended the Easter celebration at Fatahillah Park, Jakarta, on Saturday (18/4/2026). The event carried the theme “Christ is Risen, Renewing Our Humanity.”
Jakarta Deputy Governor Rano Karno stated that the celebration serves as a momentum to strengthen the spirit of hope and renewal amid societal diversity.
“This spirit of renewal, God willing, is attended by 5,000 congregants consisting of church youth from the Jakarta Archdiocese, seven church areas, civil servants, state-owned enterprise employees, and several invited guests,” Rano said at the location.
According to Rano, maintaining harmony in Jakarta is currently a particular challenge.
One of them is by ensuring that all residents have equal space regardless of background.
This can be realised through the provision of inclusive public facilities, such as public transportation, city parks, and other interaction spaces.
The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government is also promoting the strengthening of diversity by increasing spaces for dialogue and cross-cultural interactions.
“Jakarta as the second safest city in ASEAN with an index of 0.72 according to the Global Resident Index 2026 is seen as the result of collective work by the government and society, including the community organising this Easter,” he said.
He invited the public to continue upholding the values of togetherness, brotherhood, and tolerance.
“We invite all Jakarta residents to nurture the values of togetherness, brotherhood, and tolerance through the spirit of safeguarding Jakarta,” he concluded.
On the same occasion, Pastor Ferry Simanjuntak highlighted various future challenges that need to be faced together.
He mentioned one challenge as the national crisis that requires an active role from religious leaders in maintaining harmony.
He also reminded of the potential crisis of unity within religious communities, as well as the importance of mutual respect.
In addition, Ferry reminded the congregants to be wise in facing digital developments, especially in responding to information.
“The ease with which people spread hoax news and the like. Therefore, church leaders are also asked to remind their congregations not to easily spread hoax news,” he said.