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Indonesians pray for critically ill Pope Francis
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People cheer and takes photos on Sept. 5, 2024, as Pope Francis arrives to lead Holy Mass at Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta. (Reuters/Guglielmo Mangiapane)
Indonesian Catholics have been sending prayers to Pope Francis, who is in critical condition in hospital battling double pneumonia.
Thirty-four-year-old Yoseph Kristinus Guntur of Bogor, West Java, said on Tuesday that he had been following the news about the pope from the Vatican's official media arm after he learned that the 88-year-old pontiff had been hospitalized in Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Feb. 14.
Yoseph, who works as a lecturer in a university in Bandung, urged Indonesian Catholics to “keep him in our daily prayers”.
Yoseph recalled meeting the pope during a Mass in Jakarta in September of last year. Over 80,000 people filled the city’s Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium, including Yoseph, who described Francis as a figure for all people, beyond just Catholics.
Yoseph said he was amazed by the pope’s humility and mentioned a part of the papal sermon in Jakarta that encouraged “the youth to stay optimistic about their future and keep making their voices heard”.
Priest Fabie Sebastian Heatubun of Bandung said on Monday that he had seen many Catholics praying for Francis’ recovery.
“They are showing a deep love of the pope, particularly because he just recently came here [to Indonesia]. They are still feeling his love and warmth, even from when he was just sitting there in his wheelchair.”
