Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
FMA
Jakarta (Agenzia Fides) - Pope Francis is about to begin his trip to Indonesia, where he will stay from 3 to 6 September 2024, marking the first stage of his tour of the Asia-Pacific region, which also includes visits to Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore.
"Personally, I am excited and very excited about the arrival of the Holy Father in Indonesia. In the past, the Pope had planned to visit my country in 2020, but it was canceled due to the pandemic", explains to Fides Cliff Tedyanto, a young volunteer from the diocese of Jakarta who is involved in the organization and reception. "This visit shows the attention, love and care of Pope Francis for our country, for the faithful who live here. When I learned that the visit was confirmed, I tried to find out as much information as possible to be able to participate in the best way. That is why, on the day they opened registration for volunteers, I signed up immediately. There are about 700 young lay volunteers who are part of the team.
"This visit has a profound meaning not only for the Catholic community, but also for people of all religions, as it aims to promote and strengthen the messages of tolerance, unity and peace throughout the world," reads the note sent to Fides by Sister Maria Fe Silva, missionary of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA).
It is particularly historic because it will be the first papal visit to Indonesia since Pope John Paul II's trip from 8 to 12 October 1989. "One of the key events of the Pontiff's visit will be the Great Mass at the main Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) stadium in Jakarta, scheduled for 5 September 2024, which is expected to be attended by 80,000 Catholics from all over Indonesia," notes the missionary resident on the island of Sumba.
"Catholics who wish to participate in the Great Mass", continues the note by Ibu Kartimi, an Indonesian journalist, "must register through their respective dioceses. The registration process is coordinated at the diocesan, vicarial and parish levels. All the committees involved at the diocesan and parish levels have jointly collected the data of the congregation that will participate in the GBK Mass."
“With regard to the preparations and arrangements for the Great Mass at Danau Sunter Parish, St. John Bosco, Archdiocese of Jakarta (KAJ), the archdiocese has put in place a system for the 68 parishes under its jurisdiction, distributing the seats proportionally according to the number of faithful in each parish. To ensure equitable representation, KAJ has determined that employees, disadvantaged members, youth, clergy, groups of various categories, administrators and parish councils should be included. The selection of participants from these groups was done through a lottery system, in an atmosphere of enthusiasm and fairness. Those who were not selected have been placed on a waiting list, with the possibility of being called up in case any participant cancels their attendance, in which case substitutions will be made immediately. Rigorous security measures and protocols have been implemented, in accordance with the standards for guests. In addition, the parish committee will be responsible for the organization, registration, data verification, provision of transportation and management of supplies, uniforms and other logistical aspects." (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 2/9/2024)
