Yudhoyono inaugurates statue of Christ in Papua

L Cui San

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Yudhoyono inaugurates statue of Christ in Papua
The statue is located on the island where Christianity is believed to have first arrived in Papua

JAKARTA, Indonesia – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the leader of the most populous Muslim majority country in the world, has inaugurated a statue of Jesus Christ on the island where Christianity is believed to have first arrived in Papua. 

The statue, which stands 30 meters high according to Detik.com, is located within a 388-hectare evangelical site that includes a church and a museum on Mansinam Island in Manokwari, West Papua. The tallest statue of Jesus Christ in Indonesia, Kristus Kase Berkat – a 30-meter statue standing on a 20-meter base – is located in Manado, Indonesia.   

Mansinam Island is said to be the place where German missionaries Carl Wilhelm Ottow and Johann Gottlob Geissler arrived on February 5, 1855 – a date commemorated each year as a holiday in the province.

Yudhonoyo inaugurated the statue on Sunday, August 24, during his second visit to the island, accompanied by the first lady, Ani Yudhoyono, and cabinet ministers, state news agency Antara reported.

“If there is no harmony and tolerance in Papua, problems will arise,” the president said.

Yudhoyono, who will step down in October, said his government has worked closely with the governments of Indonesia’s easternmost provinces, West Papua and Papua, which remain severely underdeveloped. 

“We all want Papua to stand as tall as all regions in Indonesia,” the president said, adding that he hoped the next administration will commit to developing Papua as well.

While predominantly Muslim, Indonesia is a secular country that officially recognizes 6 religions, including Protestantism and Catholicism.  – Rappler.com

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