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» 09/26/2011 09:38
INDONESIA
Java, the government and Muslims condemn the attack against Christians in Kepunton
by Mathias Hariyadi
For the President Yodhoyono the attack is an unacceptable act. The largest Islamic organization in the country defines the bombers "inhuman criminals." Suspicions about the Islamic group extremist Cirebon.

Jakarta (AsiaNews) – The Indonesian government and Muslim religious leaders condemn today's attack against the Protestant Bethel Christian Indonesia Church (GBIS) of Kepunton (Solo, Central Java). The attack killed three people and wounded 20 others. President Yudhoyono has called it an unacceptable act against all Indonesian people. Din Syamsudin, head of Muhamadiyah, the second largest Islamic organization in the country, called the attackers "a group of criminals without the slightest sense of humanity."

Renewing his commitment to eradicate extremism, Yodhoyono has already revealed the initial results of the investigation, which point to the Cirebon group, an Islamic fundamentalist movement, already responsible for the explosion in the Cirebon police mosque in April.

Today's attack is the worst in a series of attacks launched by Islamic extremists against the Christian community and the police. Sources inside the police special forces believe the extremists attack is in revenge for clashes between Christians and Muslims in Ambon (Maluku) September 12 last.

Attacks on churches are not new in Indonesia, the most populous Muslim country in the world. In 2001 in East Jakarta, two bombs targeted the Catholic Church of St. Anne in Duren Sawit and Huria Protestant Christian Church. In 2000, Islamic extremists detonated bombs in more than 20 churches across the country during the Christmas celebrations.

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See also
07/29/2010 INDONESIA
Christians in Bekasi forced to celebrate in the open air under police protection
by Mathias Hariyadi
12/24/2010 INDONESIA
Muslim radicals colonising the country, Indonesian bishops say
by Mathias Hariyadi
02/08/2010 INDONESIA
Bekasi, anti-Christian persecution continues. A Protestant church targeted
by Mathias Hariyadi
09/05/2007 INDONESIA
Domestic Church attacked; pastor and faithful injured
by Mathias Hariyadi
10/22/2010 INDONESIA
Islamic fundamentalists against church named after Mother Teresa
by Mathias Hariyadi

Editor's choices
CHINA
Chinese scholar calls for CP reform, warns the PRC will go the Soviet way For Zhang Xien, a professor at Shandong University, 20 per cent of the CP's 83 million members are old, sick and "unable to toe the party line". At least 32 million should be encouraged to leave. The scholar addresses the dangerous issue in an article published by a biweekly magazine published by the People's Daily, the party's mouthpiece. He wants better entry requirements to weed out potentially bad officials.
VATICAN
Pope to Movements: The action of the Spirit is newness, harmony, missionAt Mass for Pentecost, along with movements and lay associations, Francis asks believers not close in on themselves for fear the 'God’s surprises', defending ourselves " barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness." The harmony of the Spirit brings unity, not exclusivism or standardization. "The Holy Spirit ... saves us from the threat of a Church which is gnostic and self-referential, closed in on herself" and " drive us to the very outskirts of existence in order to proclaim life in Jesus Christ." The final thanks of the Pope: "You are a gift and a treasure for the Church."
VATICAN
Growth in number of Catholics worldwide, number of priests and seminarians also increaseThe data from the Statistical Yearbook of the Church. The faithful of Rome have passed, from 1196 in 2010 to 1214 million in 2011, up 1.5%. Asia remains a religiously vibrant continent: number of faithful and priests rise, as do the number of professed religious who are not priests, seminarians, and in contrast to the world's data, the number of nuns.

Dossier
by Giulio Aleni / (a cura di) Gianni Criveller
pp. 176
by Lazzarotto Angelo S.
pp. 528
by Bernardo Cervellera
pp. 240
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