JAKARTA (UCAN): Pope Francis had a busy schedule in Jakarta on September 4, which brought rare joy to Indonesians who waited patiently for him along the streets. As the papal motorcade passed, they jostled each other to see and waved at him.
The 87-year-old pope appeared in good health and strong spirits as he traveled in an ordinary car. Despite tight security, Francis lowered the car window on several occasions, waved back to the crowds, and even blessed a few.
One couple, 32-year-old Gregorius Bangkit Kristantyo and 30-year-old Veronica Intan Dwi Christanti Mada, were pleasantly surprised when the pope stopped for them near Jakarta Cathedral Church.
When Kristantyo saw the pope’s car approaching, he ran as close as he could and shouted, “Father, please bless my child. Please bless my child,” pointing to his pregnant wife.
The car stopped, and Pope Francis reached out to them. He touched Mada’s belly and blessed her and the unborn child.
The pope then asked when the baby was due. Kristantyo replied, “Next week,” and said they had already chosen “Cecilia” as the baby’s name
…It was truly an extraordinary blessing from God that we met the pope, and he blessed our baby
Krystantyo
The pope smiled and gave them a small red packet containing a rosary. “This is for Cecilia,” he told the couple before the car moved on.
Kristantyo and Mada hugged each other, crying in disbelief about what they experienced.
Kristantyo, said that he still couldn’t believe what had happened.
“I did not expect it,” he said, still in shock.
“The security officers blocked us initially, not allowing us to get too close. We were struggling to get a glimpse of him. It was truly an extraordinary blessing from God that we met the pope, and he blessed our baby,” he said.
Johanes Akot, from Pontianak in West Kalimantan Province, waited for more than three hours. He wanted to take pictures and videos of the pope with his cell phone camera. Felicia Sondelau from Papua was also at the cathedral. She had arrived the previous day [September 3] with 250 representatives from the Diocese of Timika for the special Mass with the pope.
“I hope one day the pope will visit us in Papua. I pray that Pope Francis remains in good health,” Sondelau said.
Fransisca Endang Cahyaniastuti, who waited at the cathedral for four hours, came from Kediri, East Java, to see the pope. “I cannot describe the joy I felt seeing the pope,” she said.
Nita, a 25-year-old Muslim, stood among the Catholics. “I wanted to see him,” she said, noting she had read the pope’s messages on the Internet, including those opposing wars across the globe.
“I am happy because he has visited Muslim countries in the Middle East. I pray that he will always be healthy because he is a pope who dared to oppose the war in Ukraine and Gaza,” she said.
