What the Pope's Visit Means for Timor-Leste

From September 9 to the 11th, His Holiness Pope Francis will be visiting Timor-Leste. He will be landing in Dili to welcome the faithful. This is the Pope’s first time visiting East Timor, and is part of a Pacific/Asian tour he has been on, previously visiting Papua New Guinea and Indonesia; and soon to visit Singapore. 

The Pope made his way to the presidential palace. The streets of Dili were filled with tens of thousands, welcoming in His Holiness. Vatican and Timorian flags were waved, and the chanting of “Vive el Papa!” was prevalent. 

The Pope gave speeches addressing sexual abuse in the country. This is primarily referring to the prominent Bishop Belo, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1996, who was also accused of sexual assault in Timor-Leste in the 1980s and ’90s. 

Despite this, the Pope will not meet with victims of Bishop Belo or any other members of the Vatican who were involved in their sexual abuse scandals. 

The Pope will soon meet with top government officials to discuss religious relations, and the upcoming seaside mass, amongst many other important topics.

The seaside mass will be held in the same place as the one conducted by Saint John Paul in 1989. The mass is expected to have nearly half the population, or 700,000 people, in attendance.

However, not everyone is excited about the Pope’s visit. In order to get ready for the historical event, authorities demolished dozens of homes, leaving more than a hundred Timorese citizens on the streets. 

Furthermore, the Timorian government spent nearly 12 million dollars to welcome the Pope. Nearly half of the population lives under the poverty line, and many rely on subsistence agriculture to survive. Many, including leading Timorian think tank La’o Hamutuk, have criticized the move. Claiming that the money could be spent to improve medical care or infrastructure in the rapidly developing informal suburbs of Dili.