SURABAYA, Indonesia — A pastor was recently dragged from a worship site in Indonesia, and the building was sealed in a dispute over whether the church or government owns the property.
A group of officials — estimated at 50 — dragged Herri Soesanto from Good God Church, which was meeting Aug. 18 in a shop in Simpang Tiga Shopping Compound, reports Morning Star News.
They also sealed the property.
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Church members held worship services Aug. 18 and Aug. 25 on the porch of the sealed business.
The Jombang Regency government claims it owns dozens of shops at the compound in Mojongapit village in Indonesia’s East Java province.
The pastor told Morning Star that the church purchased the property from a realty company. But the company did not inform the church at that time that the property was part of a business development project of the Jombang government.
Even though the church bought the property and has paid taxes, the government and developer expect the church to pay rent now, the pastor said.
“This is a shop-house for business. … We did not consider it a place of worship,” a Jombang official told media outlet KBR, reports Morning Star.
Indonesia is No. 42 on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of places most difficult to be a Christian.
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