Pope Finds Fervent Fans Among Indonesia’s Transgender Community

The group of trans women in South Jakarta were putting on their Sunday best. They wore feathers, silk, glitter and long eyelashes. Every one of them draped a rosary around their neck.

“Pope Francis deserves our best outfit,” Elvi Gondhoadjmodjo said, as the group got ready to catch a glimpse of the pope on Thursday during his visit to Indonesia.

For many trans women living on the fringes of society here, the Catholic Church is a safe haven, and Pope Francis, with his messages of tolerance and openness toward the L.G.B.T.Q. community, has become a personal hero. They were excited by his four-day visit.

“When we got Francis as the Pope, I realized that God was really listening,” said Mami Yuli, the leader of the community and a devout Catholic who has a likeness of a rosary tattooed on her chest. “This is not the Pope but God himself visiting us.”

At the shelter where many of them live, the group of 10 trans women squeezed into two rental cars and drove to the Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, where the pope was going to hold a Mass later on Thursday. They did not have tickets to enter but hoped they could at least get a glimpse of the pope outside.