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.
In a couple of hours from now, he'll be attending a welcoming ceremony outside the presidential palace. Pope Francis will also be meeting with the president of East Timor as well as other leaders. The turnout is expected to be huge, especially given the deep links between the Catholic Church and the history of East Timor, with the church playing a significant role in its struggle for independence, which was achieved in 2002.
East Timor has had a tumultuous history with decades of occupation and independence struggles. The country has also faced clerical sex abuse scandals, including one involving a bishop from East Timor who had won the Nobel Peace Prize in the mid-1990s. It remains to be seen whether Pope Francis will address these scandals during his visit.
East Timor has allocated and paid $12 million to host Pope Francis, a significant amount for one of the poorest countries in Asia where many residents live below the poverty line. On Sunday, the Pope was in Papua New Guinea, where he delivered aid and assistance to a remote village and emphasized the importance of peace and harmony among nations and with the environment.
The 87-year-old Pope's tour across Southeast Asia and the South Pacific will conclude this Friday when he returns to Rome.
