700,000 Timorese Catholics join papal Mass in Dili

Francis praised the vibrant youth and children in Asia’s youngest nation as 'God’s immense gift'

Sep 10, 2024

DILI: Pope Francis celebrated a Mass with nearly half of tiny Timor-Leste's 1.3 million people, reminding them of the “importance of smallness” and “a spirit of humility.” 

Some 700,000 Catholics joined the mass at Tasi Tolu, a seaside coastal wetland recognized as a national ecological heritage near the capital Dili, on Sept. 10.

People in this Catholic-majority nation's remote villages and highlands traveled hundreds of kilometers to arrive for the Mass days before Francis came to Dili on Sept. 9 for a three-day visit.

"I am so happy for everyone in East Timor. Now I want to see Papa Francisco here and give my present to Papa Francisco. I am so emotional," said Mary Michaela, 17, who attended the service.

The mass was the main event of Francis's third leg of the 12-day Asia-Pacific tour, which has already taken him to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and will conclude in Singapore.

The pope praised the vibrant youth and children as “God’s immense gift” to Asia’s youngest nation, which became a free country in 2002.

“The presence of all the youth and so many children is an immense gift,” Francis emphasized.

The pope delivered the sermon in Spanish, and it was translated into Tetun, one of the official languages in Timor-Leste.

Pope Francis said that in every part of the world, the birth of a child is a “shining moment of joy and celebration,” instilling “a desire for the good, … a return to purity and simplicity. "

Francis used the sermon to hail East Timor's birth rate.

"How wonderful that here in Timor-Leste, there are so many children. We can see every corner of your land teeming with life," he said.

 Francis stressed that a child is a great gift and a sign, a reminder of the importance of “making space for children, for the little ones, welcoming them, taking care of them. "

Catholic Church is credited for supporting Timorese independence from Indonesian occupation after the end of the Portuguese colonial rule.

Once the mass ended, he went off-script, citing the country's rising rate of crocodile attacks to seemingly make a point about imposing values on other nations.

"Be careful because I was told that crocodiles are coming to some beaches," he told the crowd.

"Be attentive to those crocodiles that want to change your culture, your history. And stay away from those crocodiles because they bite, and they bite a lot."

Gigantic crowd
Around 300,000 people had officially registered for the event, the government said.

"I am grateful I can join this Holy Mass regardless of age. I don't know if I would still be able to come if the pope visited even a few years later," said 49-year-old housewife Felicidade do Rosario.

According to the Vatican, hundreds of thousands more than the officially registered were estimated to have shown up, bringing the total to nearly half the country's entire population.

The sheer number of people descending on Dili caused at least one local telecom company to inform customers that the pope's visit would affect their signal.

Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao even got involved, joining crowds to lift spirits with a sing-along before pouring water into the mouths of those waiting to perform for the pope.

Colonel Domingos Soares, a commander of East Timor's military, said 4,000 soldiers and police officers were deployed to secure the mass.

This visit is only the second papal trip to East Timor, where around 98 percent of the population is Catholic, after John Paul II in 1989.--ucanews.com