The President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta, has called on all people in the country to cooperate to welcome Pope Francis in September with joy.
In a press note on April 12, he said, “Pope Francis' official confirmation of the much-awaited visit to Timor-Leste fills the President of the Republic and all the people of Timor-Leste with joy.”
The Holy Father will be in East Timor from September 9 to 11, the Vatican announced on April 12, 2024.
The President of the country, along with all other officials of the Republic, collaborates closely with the East Timor Episcopal Conference, and the Apostolic Nunciature in Timor-Leste and has been working hard in preparation for Pope Francis' visit, said Ramos-Horta.
“Let us all, without exception, leaders and citizens, Catholics and religious of all other religious faiths, join hands, cooperate, and work to receive in great joy our greatest leader and consecrate East Timor as the land of human brotherhood,” he added.
“Let us create all possible conditions for our simple people to feel close to His Holiness, so that Pope Francis may equally see his great desire to be close to the people fulfilled,” Ramos-Horta said.
Amidst these preparations, the Independente, a local online News portal revealed that the government issued a letter to mobilize communities in the area designated as the focal point of the pope's visit to Timor Leste. This letter has created pros and cons among the Timorese.
After Pope John Paul II's 1989 visit, Pope Francis will be the second pope to visit Timor-Leste.
Pope Francis has scheduled visits to Indonesia (September 3–6), Singapore (September 11–13), and Papua New Guinea (September 6–9) in addition to East Timor.
Ninety-seven percent of the 1.4 million Timorese people, spread across the dioceses of Maliana, Baucau, and Dili, identify as Catholics.
Despite the country's abundance of natural resources, such as gas and oil, about 42% of people live in poverty and lack access to education and jobs, according to the United Nations Development Program.
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.
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