Palm Sunday church bombing injures 20 in Indonesia

Indonesia (MNN) — Two suicide bombers attacked a church in South Sulawesi, Indonesia on Palm Sunday. The explosion injured twenty. The attackers approached the church on a motorbike as the morning services were ending.

Todd Nettleton of The Voice of the Martyrs USA says, “The two bombers, apparently a man and a woman and apparently newlyweds, were both killed in the attack. But the church security guards kept them sort of at the perimeter of the property instead of letting them come onto the property. That saved who knows how many lives.”

Holy Week attacks

The Indonesian government has condemned the attack, calling for police to investigate. Indonesia officially protects Christians, but several violent, anti-Christian groups operate within the country. Nettleton says, “As we approach these holy days on the calendar, we know there’s a danger to this. Because those who would want to make a statement against the Church or against Christians, they choose those holy days because they know they’ll get more media coverage. They know the significance of those days for Christians.”

This week, Christians around the world will remember Christ’s death and celebrate His resurrection. Nettleton says, “They are also days where our brothers and sisters are at risk. And they are days of heightened awareness and heightened danger for them. I hope we can make that a part of our prayers.”

Header photo courtesy of Alexander Hood from Pixabay.