We won’t retreat into a state of fear, says parish priest of church targeted by protesters
(MM) – The Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang has announced that it will continue its services on Sunday, despite a planned protest on Sunday morning by a Malay coalition over the word ‘Allah’.
In a post on its Facebook page here, the church’s priest Father Michael Chua also asked parishioners to remain calm and avoid any confrontation with the protesters.
“All activities of the parish including masses and the opening of Sunday School will continue as scheduled. We should not allow this issue to compel us to retreat into a state of fear,” Chua wrote here.
“But above all, I urge all of you to keep this matter in prayer. Let us pray to Almighty God that good sense and wisdom will prevail.”
Chua added that the church has spoken with its Catholic lawyers and will hold a discussion with the district police to ensure the safety of its parishioners and the sanctity of the church.
The South Klang police has since assured the public that it will be providing protection towards the church and patrol the area surrounding it on Sunday.
In addition, the church’s Ministers of Hospitality will also work together with volunteer corps RELA to assist churchgoers and facilitate traffic control.
“A response team of parish representatives will be on duty to receive any memorandum. I appeal to all parishioners to remain calm and to avoid any confrontation with the protestors, if any,” Chua added.
Yesterday, a coalition of Malay-Muslim groups announced that a rally will be held at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Klang this Sunday morning over the insistence of Christians in the state to use the word “Allah”.
The coalition calling itself the Klang Muslims Solidarity Secretariat blamed church leaders for sparking the current row over the Arabic word and threatened an “uprising” if their demand for non-Muslims to stop using the word is ignored.
In addition to Kapar Umno, among the non-governmental organisations in the coalition are Jati, Selangor Perkasa, Klang Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia, and Pertubuhan Ikatan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Selangor.
The rally on Sunday is expected to draw Muslims from around the Klang area, and participants will gather at 9am before marching towards the 85-year-old Catholic church to deliver a memorandum expressing their dissatisfaction.
The plan comes following Umno Selangor’s threat to protest outside all churches in Selangor this Sunday unless a senior Catholic priest apologises over his remark insisting on the religion’s use of “Allah”.
Gombak Umno head Abdul Rahim Kamarudin said that Father Lawrence Andrew, editor of the Catholic Church’s weekly paper, The Herald, has until Saturday to withdraw his statement.
