A Protestant church in the city of Bogor in Indonesia has been allowed to open on Easter Sunday after over 15 years of dispute with authorities.
The Yasmin Church was allowed to open on Easter Sunday with the mayor of the city attending the opening ceremony.
Mayor Bima Arya said the opening of the church gave him the feelings of “regret and happiness.”
“One feeling of regret, two feelings of happiness. Regret for being unable to resolve this conflict quickly according to the dreams of the congregation. Happy because after 15 years, the end is happy,” he said.
The church has been battling with local authorities to secure a building permit for the last 15 years. It opened in 2010, but was closed when the local government invalidated its building permit.
The Indonesian Supreme Court in 2010 upheld the validity of the church’s building permit, but local authorities refused to allow the church to reopen.
Objections from Bogor’s majority Muslim community was the primary reason the church was not allowed to open.
The group International Christian Concern said the opening of the church on Easter Sunday “is undoubtedly a welcome victory.”
The group, however, expressed concern over what it described as a “trend in Indonesia” whereby Christian congregations struggle to obtain building permits for their church buildings.
“Despite guaranteeing religious freedom for all in its Constitution, Indonesia still has a long way to go on its road toward practically ensuring this right for all its citizens,” said the group.
