Indonesian Catholics celebrate Saint John Paul II by retracing his 1989 trip
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Thousands of Catholics marked the canonisation of Pope John Paul II (and Pope John XXIII) in Jakarta last Sunday by celebrating the Eucharist in places he visited during his trip to Indonesia.
The aim was to remember "that he was here, a modern saint who changed the face and spirit of the Church", and show at the same time that, despite the thousands of kilometres that separated them from Rome, they too were "filled with gratitude for his holiness."
Indonesia was the second stop on the pope's apostolic trip to the Far East and Mauritius, which lasted from 6 to 16 October 1989.
To mark the occasion, the Indonesian Church organised two events to celebrate his canonisation.
The first one was held at Atma Jaya Catholic University (South Jakarta), where Pope John Paul II had met with local community leaders.
The second took place on Monday at the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII), a miniature garden. Here, Mgr Ignatius Suharyo, archbishop of Jakarta, led a Thanksgiving Mass for the new saint. About 100 priests from all the parishes of the Archdiocese co-celebrate the liturgy with him.
For the prelate, this moment was "uncommon" for Indonesia's Catholic congregations since this was the first time in the Church's modern history "that we can give thanks, through the Eucharist, for the holiness of two popes".
About a thousand people were expected at the service, but some 2,000 showed up.
During his trip to the Asian nation, John Paul II stood in prayer in the miniature garden, which includes the small chapel dedicated to Saint Catherine.
The open-air mass at Duncunha Stadium in Maumere was another important event in the 1989 visit, attended by about 120,000 Catholics from Jakarta and other nearby cities.
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation in the world (86 per cent, mostly Sunni).
Although it upholds constitutional principles of basic personal freedoms (including religious freedom), it has increasingly become the scene of violence and abuse against minorities.
Christians represent 5.7 per cent of the population with Catholics just over 3 per cent. Hindus are 1.8 per cent and 3.4 per cent profess other religions.
Despite constitutional protection of freedom of religion, Christians have been subjected to acts of violence and abuse, especially where extremist versions of Islam, like in Aceh, are entrenched.
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15/05/2022 13:27
