Pope arrives in East Timor; abuse issue clouds celebration

September 09, 2024

Pope Francis arrived on September 9 in East Timor, the 3rd stop on his 12-day trip to Asia and Oceania.

Last week the Pontiff had been in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, and later this week he will travel to Singapore; Catholics comprise only a small minority of the population in all three countries. East Timor, in sharp contrast, is the most heavily Catholic country in the world, other than the Vatican city-state itself. Almost 98% of the little country’s 1.4 million people are Catholics.

Upon his arrival the Pope saluted East Timor for achieving stability after a long and often bloody battle against Indonesian rule, which culminated in a 1999 referendum favoring independence. The Pontiff noted that the country is now “finding a path to peace and the beginning of a new phase of development, of improved living conditions, and of appreciation on all levels of the unspoiled splendor of this land and its natural and human resources.”

One shadow looming over the Pope’s visit is the issue of sexual abuse, and particularly the status of Bishop Carlos Belo, who was forced to resign in November 2002 because of multiple abuse charges. Only years later did the Vatican acknowledge that the bishop had been disciplined for his misconduct, and ordered not to return to East Timor. Bishop Belo—who was once a national hero, having shared the Nobel Peace Prize with current President Jose Ramos-Horta for helping bring an end to the fighting with Indonesia—has disappeared from public view, and is believed to be living in Portugal.

Upon his arrival in East Timor, Pope Francis did not mention the case of Bishop Belo directly, but did speak about the sex-abuse problem, saying that it is “flowering all over the world.” The Pontiff said said that “we are all called to do everything possible to prevent every kind of abuse and guarantee a healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people.”

Pope Francis will preside at an outdoor Mass on Tuesday, September 10, that is expected to draw a massive congregation. Government officials said that 300,000 people had already registered; they expected double that number would attend.

 

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Further information:

• Thousands of people greet Pope Francis as he arrives in Timor-Leste (Vatican News)
• Pope to people of Timor-Leste: Let your faith be your culture! (Vatican News)
• Pope Goes to East Timor, Where Scandal Shadows His Church’s Heroic Past (New York Times)
• Pope Francis in East Timor for Mass that could draw half its population (Reuters)
• Pope Francis arrives in the world’s most Catholic nation outside of Vatican City (CNN)