By Stanley Widianto and Joshua McElwee
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Only rockstars and presidents can usually fill Indonesia’s national stadium, but on Thursday it was octogenarian Pope Francis who drew more than 80,000 fans to a Catholic Mass in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.
The event was the high point of the 87-year-old pope’s four days in the capital, Jakarta, on the first stop of a 12-day tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania, with visits to East Timor, Singapore and Papua New Guinea.
“The Pope’s presence is like Jesus’ presence,” said Indonesian transgender woman Mami Yuli, wearing a sparkly dress and feathered headress, one of the thousands of Indonesian Christians who gathered to hear the Pope’s rousing homily.
“Given his important message of tolerance, we hope the church and the people can judge us positively,” she added, speaking of the group that faces discrimination from religious conservatives.
“We endure a lot of pressure and that limits our movement as transwomen in Indonesia.”
Catholic nuns wearing their habits, students and the elderly crowded into Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, with church officials saying 87,000 tickets for the Mass were distributed across the world’s largest archipelago.
Earlier, the pontiff had visited Jakarta’s Istiqlal Mosque to sign a declaration on tackling climate change and promoting interfaith dialogue to resolve conflict.
Christians are a small minority in Indonesia, where Muslims make up 87% of a population of 280 million. The Southeast Asian nation recognises six official religions, and religious freedom is enshrined in its constitution.
Speaking from a white-covered stage, with a golden cross on the backdrop, the pope urged his listeners to always strive for fraternity.
“I encourage you to sow seeds of love, confidently tread the path of dialogue, continue to show your goodness and kindness,” he said. “Be builders of unity. Be builders of peace.”
Francis met Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday, and urged political leaders to guard against religious extremism.
In a gesture of respect the government suggested that national broadcasters could skip airing the Islamic call to prayer on Thursday afternoon, running it on television in the text below instead, to avoid disrupting the Mass he celebrated.
“What’s most important to me is that he’s humble and full of joy,” said Sister Maria Ambrosia, who travelled hundreds of kilometres from the island of Sumatra to attend. “I have tons of hope and happiness.”
(Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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