Fr Noel Villafuerte, SDB, parish priest of the church dedicated to St. Michael and responsible for the Salesian presence in Surabaya, wanted to share what he witnessed: "Last night we prayed together with our brothers, priests and parishioners of the bombed church in Ngagel, recalling in particular the six victims killed in the attack at that church. During the vigil, Fr Romo Kurdo, the parish priest of Ngagel, shared that no one of the victims' relatives ever expressed hatred or revenge towards the perpetrators! Only forgiveness! My friends, we preach by our lives. We stand up as different from the world, because we are not of it, and we don’t force others to agree with us; we convert by our compassion. We are not overcome by evil, but we overcome evil with good." (Rom 12:21)
"We continue to pray," added Fr Lino Belo, Provincial Delegate for Indonesia. "Please join us in prayer: we pray for all the Indonesian people. Terrorists are not only enemies of Christians, but also enemies of the whole people of Indonesia. And all major Indonesian religions are inviting with the same motivation for peaceful co-existence."
The Salesian presence of Surabaya is composed of 3 religious. It is entrusted to the responsibility of Fr Villafuerte and animates a high school, the parish and a youth center.
