Indonesia | Pope welcomed like a rock star for a mass in front of 80,000 faithful

(Jakarta) In the muggy heat of Jakarta, on her way to Indonesia’s national soccer stadium, Anastasia Ida Ediati says the long journey to see Pope Francis at a giant outdoor mass is just another sign of her dedication to the Catholic faith.

The Argentine pontiff gave a mass in the Indonesian capital on Thursday, the highlight of his three-day visit to the country.

“I feel happy, excited and elated as we head to a place where we will receive a collective blessing,” said the 59-year-old notary, who rose at dawn to travel 290 kilometres across the island of Java to hear Pope Francis speak in the capital.

“Together we will be able to praise God and return home to be able to transmit the Pope’s message to our families and friends and put it into practice,” she added, patiently waiting for the ceremony to begin.

In total, more than 100,000 people, 80,000 inside the Gelora Bung Karno stadium and 20,000 outside, attended the celebration which lasted almost two hours.

For the tiny minority of Catholics (less than 3% of the population) in this country with the largest Muslim population in the world, the pope’s visit – initially planned for 2020 – is the event of a lifetime.

In a heated atmosphere, a cheer followed by a round of applause rippled through the stands of the stadium as the head of the Catholic Church appeared, amid a sea of ​​flags from the Vatican and Indonesia.

Welcomed like a rock star, the Argentinian Pope, who appeared smiling and in good shape at 87, took part in a crowd bath by touring the stadium on board his “Popemobile”, blessing and greeting the faithful, especially children and babies.

“Viva Il Papa! Viva Papa Francesco!” the crowd chanted, in time with the music.

T-shirts and caps

From mass booklets to t-shirts, from caps to rosaries, the pope’s image was everywhere.

The faithful who were unable to obtain the precious ticket distributed free of charge in the parishes followed the celebration on giant screens outside the sports arena, which usually hosts the matches of the national soccer team.

From early in the morning, groups arrived at the stadium in packed buses, many wearing T-shirts with the pope’s image and taking group photos with the immense building in the background.

Caecilia Tutyandari waved a fan with a portrait of Pope Francis. “I’m very moved. That’s why I brought a lot of tissues!” added the 51-year-old woman from Yogyakarta, about 500 kilometers from Jakarta, with a laugh.

For the day, authorities in the city, which is congested by traffic, had asked residents to work from home or use public transport to avoid clogging the capital’s roads.

Across the country, Catholic groups that did not receive invitations to the event held masses in their churches and streamed the ceremony.

Ryan Gavin, 16, wearing a straw hat emblazoned with “Laudato Si,” the pope’s encyclical on ecology, was tasked with collecting trash at the stadium.

“The world is slowly turning into a trash can and the Pope is trying to help the world become a cleaner place. I think my generation is more sensitive” about this, the teenager said.