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Catholics eager to welcome Pope Francis in Jakarta this week
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A banner welcoming Pope Francis is displayed as a priest performs a wedding ceremony at the Jakarta Cathedral in Jakarta on Aug. 30, 2024. The pontiff's 12-day trip to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore starting next week involves 43 hours of flight time and a distance of 32,000 kilometers. (AFP/Yasuyoshi Chiba)
M
any Catholics are eager to attend a Mass led by Pope Francis in Jakarta this week, as the pontiff brings a message of peace and interfaith harmony on his first visit to Indonesia.
Around 70,000 worshippers are expected to attend the service, to be held on Thursday at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on the third day of the Pope’s four-day trip to Indonesia.
It has been more than three decades since the last papal visit to the country, and Maria Caecilia, a 67-year-old homemaker from North Jakarta, was among those who could not wait to see the head of the Catholic Church in person.
“I never expected I would be able to attend the upcoming Mass, given my age. But now that I’ve got [a spot at the service] from my church, I feel so excited,” Maria told The Jakarta Post. “I know the Mass will be quite tough because of the heat and the crowds, but who doesn't want to meet the Pope?”
Twenty-three-year-old writer Marshel Leonard from Depok, West Java, meanwhile, said the Pope’s visit was “a ray of hope to us in the midst of despair”, citing a tumultuous week that saw nationwide protests over a potential constitutional crisis two weeks ago.
“I am very happy to welcome the Pope. But the gloomy mood certainly still lingers, especially among the youth who last week took to the streets to protest,” Marshel said, expressing hope that the papal visit might lift their spirits.
He said he hoped Francis would deliver a message encouraging Indonesians to be more aware of politics, adding that the pontiff had previously mentioned that Catholics were supposed to live in coexistence with the political sphere.
