“I fell in love with East Timor,” says Pope Francis

Pope Francis, reflecting on his nearly two-week tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania, expressed his admiration for East Timor, stating, “I fell in love with East Timor” during an in-flight press conference on September 13, as reported by EWTN News.

Speaking aboard a chartered Singapore Airlines flight en route back to the Vatican, Pope Francis shared his affection for the tiny, predominantly Catholic nation, which gained independence in 2002. 

The Pope visited East Timor from September 9 to 11, following his trip to Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, from September 3 to 6.

His itinerary also included visits to Papua New Guinea from September 6 to 9 and Singapore from September 11 to 13.

During the papal mass in East Timor, more than 600,000 people—nearly half of the country’s 98% Catholic population—gathered to witness the historic event.

The remaining 2% of East Timor’s 1.5 million citizens follow Protestantism and Islam, the two other officially recognized religions.

Pope Francis praised East Timor’s strong family values and high birth rate, highlighting its "culture of life."

He suggested that wealthier nations, such as Singapore, could learn from the small nation, emphasizing that "children are the future."

“East Timor is a simple, happy, family-oriented culture of life with many children,” the Pope remarked, stressing the importance of preserving these values from "ideas that come from outside."

He compared these external influences to the saltwater crocodiles that have taken over some of the nation’s pristine beaches.

This journey, marking the Pope’s 45th Apostolic Journey, was his longest yet. Over the course of 12 days, he visited four nations—Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste—traveling a total of 20,000 miles across seven flights.