
Catholic devotees were clamouring to see Pope Francis before his arrival in East Timor's capital on Monday -- making pilgrimages from faraway towns and hours-long crossings of its shared border with Indonesia.
In Dili, a seaside city sandwiched between mountains and the turquoise waters of the Ombai Strait, preparations for his three-day visit were in full swing with Vatican flags flying high, roads being cleaned and authorities relocating poor street-dwellers.