An additional 25,000 people followed the Mass broadcast in another stadium 300 meters away.

The group at GBK on September 5 comprised colleagues from Starki University in Jakarta, affiliated with the Catholic congregation of the Missionary Sisters of St Charles Borromeo.

"How do I feel being here? I'm lucky. Many Catholics didn't get tickets and are watching the pope on TV," said 60-year-old Maria Ambarwati, as Pope Francis' car entered the stadium amid cheers of "Viva il Papa!"

Like her colleagues, the English and management teacher wore a straw hat with the large inscription: "Laudato si'."

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This is the first time such a thing has happened for 50 years.

There have been weeks of protests against it from Islamic hardliners.

Basuki Tjahaja Purnama is also the first person from the country's tiny ethnic Chinese minority to become leader of Jakarta.

He was sworn in at a ceremony by President Joko Widodo on Wednesday.

He replaces Widodo, who took office as head of state last month.

Like the president, he was a political outsider without deep roots in the Suharto era.

Despite the opposition from Islamic groups, many Jakarta residents support the governor.

They believe it takes a strong leader to fix the problems of the capital, which include a threadbare public transport system and inadequate flood defences.

Source

• channelnewsasia
• Image: frontroll.com

There have been numerous reports from West Papua about the voilent behaviour of the Indonesian military and police.

At the time of Wenda's visit McCully also advised two National MPs against hosting the independence leader after they had proposed co-sponsoring the West Papuan in a public forum at Parliament Buildings.

He said New Zealand had a constructive relationship with Indonesia, and Government MPs hosting a member of the independence movement was not a "good fit" with this relationship.

Mr Wenda met Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) officials instead.

A recent media release from the Leadership Working Forum of Papuan Churches about the state of violence in West Papua lists 8 violent incidents that have occurred in the last 5 year.

Father Saul Wanimbo, the Director of the Commission for Justice and Peace (SKP) in Timika diocese, said that during police sweeps, local people are being forced to hand over their mobile phones. They analyse the memory cards on the mobile phones to find songs in Papuan language, and if the memory card is found to contain either one or many Papuan folk songs, police will smash the memory card with stones, according to Fr Wanimbo.

Wanimbo told Jubi, citing his own experiences and stories directly from Enaro residents from 1-20 Febrruary 2013. Wanimbo said that Paniai people have been so demoralised that they just accept the oppressive actions of the occupation forces.

Source

• West Papua Media Alerts
• New Zealand Herald
• Image: New Zealand Herald

In Jakarta a total of 4,313 police were deployed to secure 1,262 churches, while West Java deployed more than 8,000 officers across the province over the Easter period.

Thousands of people attended services at Jakarta Cathedral in Central Jakarta. Services were performed three times: at 12 p.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. with at least 16,000 churchgoers joining the services.

Churchgoers in Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi, attended mass early in the morning to celebrate the coming of Easter, kompas.com reported Friday. Those attending mass sang hymns along with family members and friends.

The Polewali Mandar regency did not see a heavy police presence. Churchgoers were able to feel safe commemorating Good Friday without heavy protection. People there said the reason they felt safe was because Polewali Mandar has long been known for its inter-religious solidarity and tolerance, which acted like a fortress in protecting religious freedom.

In 2000, several churches in the country were bombed during Christmas Eve celebrations, including Jakarta Cathedral.

Source

• Jakarta Post
• Image: AsiaOne