Controversy Over Church Rejection in Cilegon City: The Number of Churches in Banten Province

Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), there were 43 churches in Banten Province in 2021.

The details show 28 Protestant churches and 15 Catholic churches. Of the 8 regencies/cities in this province, only Cilegon City has no churches, neither for Christian nor Catholic congregations.

Tangerang Regency recorded the highest number of churches, with 10 churches: 7 Protestant and 3 Catholic. Pandeglang Regency has 8 churches, all Protestant.

Lebak Regency also has 8 churches: 7 Protestant and 1 Catholic. Tangerang City has 6 churches: 1 Protestant and 5 Catholic. South Tangerang City (Tangsel) has 5 churches, all Catholic.

(read: No Places of Worship for Non-Muslim Communities in Cilegon City in 2021)

Serang Regency has 4 churches, all Protestant. Serang City has 2 churches: 1 Protestant and 1 Catholic. Meanwhile, Cilegon City has no churches, so Catholic and Christian congregations must worship in other areas.

The Cilegon City Local Wisdom Preservation Committee considers the rejection of the Maranatha Church construction in Cikusa to have a legal basis, namely the Decree of the Regent of Serang Regency Level II Number 189/Huk/SK1975 dated March 28, 1975. Cilegon Mayor Helldy Agustian and Deputy Mayor Sanuji Pentamarta, who also signed the petition rejecting the church construction, have received criticism from many circles.

However, with the issuance of the Joint Regulation of the Minister of Religion and the Minister of Home Affairs Number: 9 of 2006 and Number: 8 of 2006 concerning Guidelines for the Implementation of the Duties of Regional Heads/Deputy Regional Heads in Maintaining Interfaith Harmony, Empowering the Interfaith Harmony Forum, and the Establishment of Places of Worship, the guidelines for maintaining interfaith harmony use this as a legal basis.

The following are the reasons for the rejection of church construction in Cilegon City:

* Historical factors involving societal uprisings against the Dutch colonialists who banned the adhan and increased levies, known as the Geger Cilegon in 1888.
* The construction of the Trikora steel plant (PT Krakatau Steel (Persero) Tbk) in 1975, where the community demanded that places of worship for non-Muslims not be built.
* The Decree of the Serang Regent Number 189/Huk/SK1975 dated March 28, 1975.