Pope Francis arrives in East Timor, for Mass of 750,000
Published: 04:09 PM,Sep 09,2024 | EDITED : 08:09 PM,Sep 09,2024
Pope Francis greets youths in traditional dress as East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta looks on during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Dili, East Timor, September 9, 2024. YASUYOSHI CHIBA/Pool via REUTERS
DILI: Pope Francis arrived on Monday in East Timor, a predominantly Catholic nation in Southeast Asia, for a three-day visit that will include an open-air celebration of Mass the Vatican says may include more than half the population of 1.3 million. The 87-year-old pontiff is on an ambitious 12-day visit to four countries across Southeast Asia and Oceania, his longest overseas journey yet.
He came to East Timor from Papua New Guinea, where on Sunday he delivered medical supplies to a small town located at the edge of a vast jungle, in one of the most remote areas of the world.
Francis landed in Dili, the Timorese capital, on Monday afternoon. He was met at the airport by President Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta and two young women dressed in traditional outfits, who offered him flowers and a tais, a woven ceremonial scarf, which the pontiff briefly put on.
Tens of thousands of people filled entire city blocks around the airport as Francis left in a white, open-top vehicle. Many were using umbrellas decorated in the white and yellow colours of the Vatican flag.
East Timor, a half-island nation north of Australia, gained independence from Indonesia in 2002, after a brutal, decades-long occupation. Francis is the second pope to visit, following John Paul II, who came in 1989, in a trip that gave the country's independence movement an historic boost.
The country is likely the most Catholic in the world, with the Vatican saying some 96% of Timorese are adherents to the faith.
In a speech to about 400 politicians, diplomats and civic leaders a few hours after arriving, Francis said East Timor had endured the 'greatest suffering and trial'.
'We give thanks to God, since you never lost hope ... and after dark and difficult days, a dawn of peace and freedom has finally arrived,' he said.
Organisers are preparing for some 750,000 people to attend a Mass with Francis at the Tasitolu, a wide, dusty coastal area.
The pope's first address in the country will come later Monday, when Francis is due to address the political authorities. Francis is visiting East Timor until Wednesday as part of a tour that also included a stop in Indonesia. He travels next to Singapore before returning to Rome on Sept. 13. — Reuters
He came to East Timor from Papua New Guinea, where on Sunday he delivered medical supplies to a small town located at the edge of a vast jungle, in one of the most remote areas of the world.
Francis landed in Dili, the Timorese capital, on Monday afternoon. He was met at the airport by President Jose Manuel Ramos-Horta and two young women dressed in traditional outfits, who offered him flowers and a tais, a woven ceremonial scarf, which the pontiff briefly put on.
Tens of thousands of people filled entire city blocks around the airport as Francis left in a white, open-top vehicle. Many were using umbrellas decorated in the white and yellow colours of the Vatican flag.
East Timor, a half-island nation north of Australia, gained independence from Indonesia in 2002, after a brutal, decades-long occupation. Francis is the second pope to visit, following John Paul II, who came in 1989, in a trip that gave the country's independence movement an historic boost.
The country is likely the most Catholic in the world, with the Vatican saying some 96% of Timorese are adherents to the faith.
In a speech to about 400 politicians, diplomats and civic leaders a few hours after arriving, Francis said East Timor had endured the 'greatest suffering and trial'.
'We give thanks to God, since you never lost hope ... and after dark and difficult days, a dawn of peace and freedom has finally arrived,' he said.
Organisers are preparing for some 750,000 people to attend a Mass with Francis at the Tasitolu, a wide, dusty coastal area.
The pope's first address in the country will come later Monday, when Francis is due to address the political authorities. Francis is visiting East Timor until Wednesday as part of a tour that also included a stop in Indonesia. He travels next to Singapore before returning to Rome on Sept. 13. — Reuters