Zaskia Adya Mecca berhijab hitam saat di Vatikan, masuk ke sebuah gereja, dan merasakan misa Natal yang tertib. Ia tak dipandang aneh. Hati pun hangat. (Foto: Dok. Instagram @hanungbramantyo)
The end of 2024 was a special moment for Zaskia Adya Mecca because she spent time in Europe with her husband and children. One of the places they visited was the Vatican , right on Christmas Eve.
On the evening of December 24, 2024, Zaskia shared her experience attending Christmas mass while waiting for Pope Francis to arrive. Although the Pope did not appear until the next day, the experience was still memorable.
photo: Instagram/@zaskiadyamecca
In an orderly atmosphere, Zaskia wore a hijab and felt well received by the Catholics there. She noted in her Instagram Stories, " Orderly Mass. I wore a hijab and there were no strange looks because I joined the crowd and entered the church ."
In addition, the moment that moved Zaskia was when she met a priest from Indonesia. Their interaction provided a lot of insight into life in the Vatican. Zaskia felt warmly welcomed, regardless of differences in religion and dress. " Meeting a priest from Indonesia who has lived here for a long time. We were told many things so we understood more. My heart is very warm tonight ," she said.
photo: Instagram/@zaskiadyamecca
However, not everything went smoothly. Zaskia revealed that the cold temperature in the Vatican made her cold for 1.5 hours. Even though she was wearing a warm jacket, the weather was still piercing. " It was cold until my hands froze in this place for 1.5 hours. When I felt like I couldn't take it, I imagined the refugees from Tanah Syam who were in tents. They didn't even have puffer jackets. Hu hu my body immediately felt warm thinking about that ," she wrote.
In front of St. Peter's Basilica Church, Zaskia's husband, Hanung Bramantyo , also shared a story about waiting for Pope Francis. Although the temperature reached 0 degrees, they felt the warmth when they met Indonesian Catholics who were also present to worship. " Unexpected moment, being able to get the atmosphere of the holy night for Christians in Rome with family ," he said.
Hanung also conveyed Christmas greetings to Christians and Catholics, hoping that this year's Christmas will bring blessings to Indonesia.
(brl/red)
