PASURUAN, Indonesia - Leaders from most of Indonesia's official religions on Friday visited churches wrecked by rampaging mobs in troubled East Java in a show of unity to cool tension and restore peace.
Several churches were torched and police shot at least 12 protesters with rubber bullets in the city of Pasuruan on Tuesday during a rally against efforts to oust struggling President Aburrahman Wahid.
The protest was organised by Indonesia's largest Muslim group, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), which Wahid once led and which is the source of his most fervent supporters.
One youth was killed during similar protests on Wednesday as parliament demanded a special impeachment hearing of the top legislature.
"I am here to limit the danger," NU chief Hasyim Muzadi told reporters near one of the destroyed buildings, a Protestant church, built by the Dutch in 1829, which was still smouldering.
"We want reconciliation between Muslims and the other groups."
He was accompanied by local Buddhist, Catholic and Protestant leaders.
The NU and other religious leaders have blamed outside troublemakers for this week's violence. Muzadi urged people not to be stirred by provocateurs in the run-up to the impeachment sitting of the supreme People's Consultative Assembly in August.
"Intergroup relations in East Java have always been good - we must not be dislodged by outside groups," he said.
Muzadi's visit, on the Muslim holy day, was kept secret from most NU members to avoid a potentially explosive mass gathering, one NU official said.
But he was due to lead midday prayers at a mosque.
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim country, but officially it is secular and recognises five religions -- Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism and Protestantism.
00:48 06-01-01
Copyright 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.