Jakarta’s neo-gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral stands on the
north corner of Lapangan Banteng, or Banteng Square, which,
during the Dutch colonial period was called Waterlooplein, or
Waterloo Square in Central Jakarta. Today, the Cathedral stands
right across Jakarta’s largest mosque, the Istiqlal Mosque.
Their proximity is not a coincidence. Indonesia’s first
president, Soekarno, chose the site for the mosque on purpose,
to symbolize the nation’s philosophy of unity in diversity,
where all religions could co-exist in peace and harmony. Today,
both establishments continue to cooperate with one another,
especially to accommodate the parking of cars during religious
festivals. The parking lot of the mosque is used by the church
congregation during Easter and Christmas midnight mass, and vice
versa, during Eid prayers, parking is extended to the
Cathedral’s parking lot. Facing the church’s parking area is the
statue of the Holy Heart of Jesus. This neo-gothic church was
consecrated in 1901 having been rebuilt at