Jokowi to Escort Pope Francis to Jakarta Mass

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo or Jokowi will reconvene with Pope Francis today, Thursday, September 5, 2024, at the Gelora Bung Karno or GBK Stadium in Jakarta. Pope Francis will lead the Catholic Mass at GBK Main Stadium and Madya Stadium this afternoon.

The Archbishop of Jakarta, Ignatius Cardinal Suharyo Hardjoatmodjo, said the president told Pope Francis that he hoped to escort the leader of the world Catholic population to Mass. However, he said, President Jokowi will not attend the religious service.

“President Jokowi said yesterday that he wants to wish Pope Francis a happy Mass,” Suharyo told Tempo at the office of the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia on Thursday.

More than 85,000 Catholics will attend today's Mass led by Pope Francis. The Pope will lead the Mass in Italian. Congregations from dioceses throughout Indonesia have arrived in Jakarta since September 4.

The Head of the Communication and Information Department, Thomas Eddy Susanto, said the Mass will be held in two locations: the Madya Stadium and GBK Stadium. Pope Francis will greet Catholics in both venues. “After greeting President Jokowi, Pope Francis will enter (the stadium) and lead the Mass,” Thomas said.

Francis, the leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, will speak in his homily or sermon about the Catholic community's call to build a more just society. Indonesian Catholics have been enthusiastic about welcoming the Pope.

According to Tempo’s observation in the two days it followed the Pope’s apostolic journey in Indonesia, people crowded every location he visited. At the Vatican Embassy for Indonesia in Gambir, people lined up on the sidewalks all day to greet Pope Francis.

FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA

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