Refugees and orphans welcome Pope Francis to Jakarta
A ceremony at Sukarno-Hatta airport, before transfer to the nunciature. The people of Jakarta impressed by Francis' extreme simplicity. During the thirteen-hour flight, the pontiff was also presented with a reproduction of the Xi'an stele, testimony to the ancient roots of Christianity in China.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - Forty minutes on board a minivan for the journey from Sukarno-Hatta airport to the nunciature, located near the central Merdeka Square. The first taste of Pope Francis' presence in Indonesia this morning aroused great admiration and sympathy among the people of the country.
Seated beside the driver, the pontiff greeted the many journalists and other people awaiting his arrival both on the tarmac and during the journey to the nunciature.
The plane carrying Pope Francis landed at Jakarta airport at 11.16 a.m. local time, after a flight that lasted over thirteen hours. The welcome ceremony was very simple: a group of national guards of honour approached the plane's steps while the pope was greeted by two children dressed in traditional clothes: Mary Lourdes Wicaksono Atmojo (6 years old) from Central Jakarta and Irfan Wael (12 years old) from Buru Island in Central Molucca.
Francis was presented with a bouquet of flowers representing the nation's political motto ‘Bhinneka Tunggal Ika’, which means ‘Plurality in Diversity’.
Welcoming him on behalf of the government was the Indonesian Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Quomas, flanked by Jakarta's Cardinal Suharyo, the President of the Bishops' Conference, Bishop Antonius Subianto, the Apostolic Nuncio Msgr. Piero Pioppo, the Indonesian Ambassador to the Holy See, Michael Trias Kuncahyono, and other prominent figures, including former Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan, head of the visit's organising committee.
During the flight, Pope Francis had briefly greeted the journalists, thanking them for their presence: ‘Thank you for your company,’ he said, ‘I think this is the longest trip I have taken. From some of the journalists, the pontiff also received some significant gifts: a reproduction of the Xi'an stele, the ancient inscription that attests that Christianity had already arrived in China in the 7th century, and a torch used by a group of migrants on their journey on barges in the Mediterranean.
On arrival at the nunciature, Francis' first meeting was reserved to the humblest people: He was welcomed by a group of refugees hosted by the Jesuit Refugee Service, orphaned children raised by Dominican nuns, and elderly, refugees and homeless people accompanied by the Indonesian Community of Sant'Egidio.
After a brief greeting, the pope then retired to the rooms where he will rest today, celebrating Mass in private. The public moments of the visit will in fact begin tomorrow morning at the presidential palace where he is scheduled to meet outgoing President Joko Widodo and address the authorities and the diplomatic corps.
Then, in the afternoon, in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, the meeting with the bishops, priests and pastoral workers of the Indonesian Church.
The simplicity of Pope Francis is arousing great admiration among the people. Also speaking to AsiaNews, Olga Lidya, a well-known supermodel in the country, said that his simple lifestyle and the teachings of the encyclical Laudato Sì have aroused enormous influence around the world.
‘Pope Francis,’ she comments, ’is a model on how to lead a simple life. Something that is sometimes very difficult to practise in our daily lives, without accumulating wealth. His simplicity strikes our moral conscience and asks us to have a strong compassion for others'.
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25/07/2022 08:22
