Dili, Sep 9: Pope Francis received a raucous welcome Monday as he arrived in East Timor to celebrate its recovery from a bloody and traumatic independence battle, even as he indirectly acknowledged an abuse scandal involving its Nobel Peace Prize-winning hero.
Timorese jammed Francis’ motorcade route into town from the airport, waving Vatican and Timorese flags and toting yellow and white umbrellas – the colours of the Holy See – to shade themselves from the scorching midday sun.
“Viva el Papa!” they shouted as he passed by. The 87-year-old Francis seemed to relish the greeting, smiling broadly from the open-backed pickup truck and waving as he passed by billboard after billboard featuring his image and words of welcome.
The overwhelmingly Catholic East Timor, one of the world’s poorest countries, had eagerly awaited Francis’ arrival, which came on the heels of the 25th anniversary of the UN-backed referendum that paved the way for independence from Indonesia.
It was a far different atmosphere than when the last pope visited. St. John Paul II came in 1989, when Timor was still an occupied part of Indonesia and fighting for its freedom. After Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence a decade later, Indonesia’s military responded with a scorched-earth campaign that destroyed 80 per cent of the country’s infrastructure and shocked the world. Overall, as many as 200,000 people were killed during the 24 years of Indonesian rule.
John Paul’s visit, which culminated with a massive Mass on the seaside near Dili, helped draw international attention to the plight of the Timorese people and shine a spotlight on the oppressiveness of Indonesia’s occupation.
Francis arrived in Dili from Papua New Guinea to follow in John Paul’s footsteps and open the third leg of his trip through Southeast Asia and Oceania. President Jose Ramos-Horta and Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, two of East Timor’s most revered independence heroes, greeted Francis at the airport and were meeting with him privately. In remarks to them and other dignitaries Monday, Francis applauded the Timorese people for having recovered from their “greatest suffering and trial” to put East Timor on the path of peaceful development. And he praised them for having reconciled with Indonesia.
But he said new challenges and problems were now confronting the country, Asia’s newest, including emigration and poverty, as well as alcohol abuse and violence involving martial arts gangs.
“Let us also not forget that these children and adolescents have their dignity violated,” Francis said. (AP)
