When Places of Worship Are No Longer Safe

Previously, people visited places of worship to seek peace. After a tiring day at work, overwhelmed by life’s troubles, or facing numerous challenges, places of worship were the safest spaces to calm the heart and draw closer to God. However, this sense of security has been gradually fading. Now, worshippers not only focus on devotion but also worry whether their prayers will be protested, dispersed, or deemed a disturbance to the neighbourhood.

This feeling was palpable during the incident at Padukuhan Glugo, Sewon, Bantul, on Sunday, 24 May 2026. As members of Gereja Misi Sejahtera were conducting services, a mob arrived to disperse the gathering. Threats of arson were made, and children returned home in fear. The reason was classic: the place of worship was deemed to lack official permits and community approval.

The simple question arises: since when must worship be conducted with trepidation? Reviewing recent years, the Bantul case is just one of many similar incidents. The issue revolves around the Building Permit Approval (PBG), despite permit applications having been submitted since 2023. In September 2025, worship was banned in Tangerang, with threats to revoke ID cards for those deemed supporters. Another tragic case occurred in May 2024 when Catholic students from Universitas Pamulang conducting a rosary prayer in Cisauk were dispersed and subjected to violence. In June 2025, a Christian youth retreat in Cidahu, Sukabumi, ended with a villa vandalised by a mob.