A moment in the spotlight: Indonesian Catholics on papal Mass

On the sidelines of Mass with Pope Francis at Indonesia’s national stadium in Jakarta, two young Catholics reflect on the Pope’s visit to their country, saying he drew attention to the presence of Catholics in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.

By Joseph Tulloch and Linda Boroni - Jakarta

On Thursday evening, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for around 100,000 people at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

As the seats were filling up prior to the liturgy, two young Indonesians spoke to Vatican News about their experience as members of the country’s Catholic minority, and their hopes for the Pope’s visit.

Eugene, a 24-year-old sustainability consultant, and Natasha, a 20-year-old graphic design student, explained that they belong to a Catholic youth group that organises faith discussions and charity work. Both said they were very excited about the Pope’s visit.

Eugene and Natasha at Holy Mass with the Pope in Jakarta

“As a minority group in a country dominated by a single religion,” said Eugene, “his visit brings a lot of publicity and exposure to us minorities, in a way that has never happened before.”

“I've never witnessed,” he continued, “such a huge inter-religious affair that [causes] even our brothers and sisters from other religions to say ‘Oh, so this is Catholicism’ … I think this is a moment for them to explore and discover a whole different culture and a whole different religion.”

Asked what message she had for Catholics in Italy, Natasha said “I just want them to know that we’re here too. We’re Indonesian, we’re Catholic, and we enjoy what we're doing.”

Listen to the full interview with Eugene and Natasha here