Pope Finds Fervent Fans Among Indonesia's Transgender Community - For many trans women living on the fringes of the nation's society, the Catholic Church is a haven, and Pope Francis a personal hero.

Catholics make up a very small minority in Muslim-predominant Indonesia. Still, dozens of trans women who were not born into the Church were baptized in Jakarta in recent years. They came from nearly every corner of the country, said the Rev. Adrianus Suyadi, a Jesuit priest at Jakarta's Cathedral.

But overall, the transgender community still faces rejection and discrimination in Indonesia. Many are still homeless and others do s*x work to survive, community members said.

Once a month, more than 50 trans women attend a prayer meeting at the Cathedral, Father Suyadi said. Many frequent cooking classes organized by the church and two have become instructors. .

"When I go to the church nobody judges me," said Ms. Gondhoadjmodjo, 40, who got baptized in 2022, and said that she has started volunteering as a teacher thanks to the Church. "That makes me more sure I want to be a Catholic."

Mika Horulean, 26, another trans woman, attends Catholic trans-counseling meetings, in which they discuss their experiences, on Zoom every Friday. "Romo is amazing," she said, addressing Father Suyadi with a word that means father in Javanese.

Church teachings oppose gender transition, but Francis has long urged clerics to welcome L.G.B.T.Q. Catholics into the Church. He hosted a group of transgender women at the Vatican for lunch. He approved a Vatican document that made clear that transgender people can be baptized and declared laws that criminalize being gay to be "unjust."

Recently the Vatican issued a document approved by Francis stating that the church believes that transition surgery is an affront to human dignity. The pope also recently used a slur word to refer to gay people.

Even so, South Jakarta's transgender community has focused instead on Francis' positive messaging and openness.

"For us, L.G.B.T. people in Indonesia, there is never someone as high profile who sends a message of inclusiveness," Mami Yuli said.

"He is much braver than the other popes before him," she said, as she stood by her small shrine in the shelter, with a statuette of Mary and a picture of Jesus. > "His message is a message of love and to pay attention to the little people."

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