After meeting all the young people in Papua New Guinea, Pope Francis departs for Timor Leste, where he will begin the third phase of his Apostolic Journey through Southeast Asia and Oceania.
A papal plane chartered by Air Niugini landed at the Presidente Nicolau Lobato International Airport of the capital Dili at 2.20 pm local time.
Schedule for Timor Leste
Once the Pope arrives in Timor-Leste, his first event will be a welcome ceremony outside the Presidential Palace, scheduled for around 6 pm.
Following this, at 6:30, the Pope will have a courtesy visit with the President of the Republic at the Presidential Palace.
Then, at 7:00 PM, the Pope will meet with government authorities, members of civil society, and the diplomatic corps in the Presidential Palace Hall, where he will deliver an address.
On September 10, Tuesday morning, the Pope will visit children with disabilities at the Irmãs Alma School.
At 9:30 AM, the Pope will meet with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians, and catechists at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, where he will give an address.
Later, at 10:45 AM, he will have a private meeting with members of the Society of Jesus at the Apostolic Nunciature.
The day will conclude with Mass at 4:30 PM at the Esplanade of Taci Tolu. Then, the next morning, the Pope will leave for Singapore.
The Pope was greeted by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao and President José Manuel Ramos-Horta of Timor, as well as delegations and 14 people dressed traditionally, who represented the 14 municipalities in the nation. Two girls presented the Pope with a traditional Timorese scarf.
After leaving the airport, Pope Francis went to Dili's Apostolic Nunciature and took a short break before returning to the Presidential Palace to address his first official speech to Timor Leste's authorities at the official welcome ceremony.
Thousands of people gathered in the streets to cheer him on and wave the Timorese and Vatican flags as he made his way to the Nunciature.
The Holy Father is the second pontiff to visit Timor Leste, following St. John Paul II, who visited on October 12, 1989, during the Indonesian occupation, and the first since the nation gained independence in 2002 from Indonesia.
The central theme of this visit to Timor Leste, “May your faith be your culture”
During their struggle to be freed from Indonesian rule, the Timorese people were actively supported by the Catholic Church.
It is expected that some 700,000 people, also from neighbouring Indonesia and Australia, will attend the Mass in Dili's Taci Tolu Esplanade on September 10.
He will also address the local clergy, meet his fellow Jesuits, and meet about 4,000 young Timorese during his intense stay until September 11.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
