Just a short time ago, Pope Francis arrived in East Timor, the latest stop of his tour of Southeast Asia and Oceania. The pontiff was greeted by a loud crowd when he arrived. He'll be welcomed by the country's president in the coming hours. It is his third leg of the Pope's journey after leaving Papua New Guinea early Monday. The Pontiff's trip marks a significant shift for the Vatican, as it places renewed focus on its congregations across Asia.
Pope Francis is continuing his ambitious tour across Asia with this stop in East Timor, a deeply Catholic nation where 97% of the population identify as Catholic. The mood on the ground inside and across East Timor is very festive with billboards and banners welcoming the Pope, and throngs of well-wishers greeting him on the tarmac at Dili Airport, the capital of East Timor, where he arrived just a few hours ago.
