A number of officials accompanied Hartono during the visit, including the Speaker of DKI Jakarta Council; chief of Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Inspector General Fadil Imran; Jakarta's military commander, Major General Untung Budiharto; and a number of inter-faith leaders.
They were greeted by the Archbishop of Jakarta, Ignatius Kardinal Suharyo, upon their arrival. The entourage went to Immanuel Church in Jakarta prior to their visit to the Cathedral.
After their arrival, Hartono and his entourage reviewed preparations at Cathedral Church and delivered messages to the congregation preparing to take part in the first session of the Christmas Eve Mass.
In his remarks, Hartono wished all Christians a Merry Christmas. He assured that the service would run solemnly and smoothly starting from Christmas Eve Mass until Christmas Mass on Sunday.
"We are here to greet Christians who will be worshiping ahead of Christmas and we wish you a Merry Christmas, and we make sure that the whole congregation can run well from this afternoon until tomorrow," he said.
Meanwhile, Archbishop Suharyo expressed his gratitude for the visit. The presence of the leaders will provide a sense of security and comfort in worship, he said.
"We will always try to foster Catholics at the Jakarta Cathedral so that the spirit of Christmas encourages all people to become good citizens, does not bother our leaders, supports everything that is planned according to our respective roles," he said.
After giving a press conference, the group then went to inspect other churches around the DKI Jakarta area.
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Translator: Aria Cindyara
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2022
