Thousands attend mass

YOGYAKARTA: Some 50 thousand Catholics took part in a mass held at the Mandala Krida Stadium on Saturday in commemoration of Indonesia's 50th anniversary.

The service opened with a drum band show by students from the Stella Duce High School and also a series of dances.

The service was opened with a procession of missionaries, deacons and collectors. It was concluded with the mass led by the Semarang archbishop Yulius Kardinal Darmaatmadja.

"We have to cherish the independence which our heroes fought for in the past. We must take action against crime and corruption," Yulius said in his sermon.

"We have to help each other in the truth and in the fight against poverty," he added. (har/imn)