Sunday mass as usual for KL church goers amid police presence

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KUALA LUMPUR: Sunday mass at churches in the Federal capital proceeded smoothly and peacefully as the situation is under control following the recent church attacks.

Chief priest James Ghanapirasagam at St John’s Cathedral Bukit Nenas, among the biggest church in Kuala Lumpur, said despite a few incidents of church arson and attempted ones since Friday, mass at the church yesterday morning went on as usual.

He said a number of policemen were stationed around the church area, giving the feeling that security was under control.

“We are so thankful to the police and appreciate their responsibility in ensuring our safety during mass this morning.

“Of course we feel anxious after a few churches were attacked in the past few days. However, people still come to church,” he told Bernama.

He hoped Malaysians would continue to respect each other although they had different religions and beliefs and ensure that peace and security would prevail.

He said every Sunday, the church held three mass sessions — 8am, 10.30am and 6pm.

Micheal Joseph, 32, who was met after mass yesterday morning, said initially he was afraid to go to church but was relieved to see policemen around the church area.

“To me, the violent protest like of late should be avoided as the issue could be discussed amicably by the relevant parties. What is important is for us to have a more open mind,” he said.

Another churchgoer, Charlene Clarisse, 33, said: “We have co-existed peacefully for a long time although we are of different races and religions. Therefore, we should not succumb to emotions as this can cause harm to others.

“As members of the public, we should not create provocation and judge ourselves who is right or wrong in this case — use of the word ‘Allah’ in the Catholic weekly, Herald.”

Solomon Pagar, 45, confessed he was worried about the situation as public order was being threatened.

“I was initially afraid to go to church but I believe there are laws to deal with the situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, the National Union of Bank Employees (NUBE) has assured all its foreign counterparts that the situation in Malaysia is back to normal and that the country ‘is as peaceful as ever’.

Its general secretary J Solomon told Bernama yesterday that the union had received numerous calls from its foreign contacts wanting to know about the true situation in the country following reports of attempts of arson at several churches and demonstrations at mosques since last Friday.

He said the union assured them that “it has full confidence in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in handling the situation”. — Bernama

Solomon said the union also told them that Malaysians were generally peace-loving citizens, and that Malaysia was still the most peaceful multiracial and multireligious country in the world. — Bernama