In remembrance: Catholics praying during a vigil for the late Pope Francis in Dili. — AP
The Catholic majority nation began seven days of national mourning to mark the death of Pope Francis, with people gathering for prayers and flags flying at half-mast.
The pontiff, who died on Monday, last year became the first pope to visit the country in more than 30 years, following John Paul II, whose appearance gave its movement for independence from Indonesia a historic boost and rare prominence on the global stage.
“It is the duty of the state, on behalf of the Timorese people, to demonstrate a deep sense of gratitude and recognition, paying a deserved tribute to this great leader of the Catholic Church,” a statement from the country’s Council of Ministers said in announcing the mourning period yesterday.
More than 97% of Timor-Leste is Catholic, making it one of the largest majorities in the world outside the Vatican, and, along with the Philippines, it is one of only two predominantly Christian countries in Asia.
More than 600,000 people – or nearly half Timor-Leste’s 1.3 million population – turned out to see Francis last year during his 12-day visit to Asia and Oceania.
The church remains deeply popular in the half-island country despite being plagued by scandals. In 2022, the Vatican confirmed it had sanctioned Timorese Bishop and Nobel laureate Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo following allegations he sexually abused boys in Timor-Leste in the 1990s.
It is not clear how Belo had responded to the allegations.
A year earlier, a defrocked American priest was sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexually abusing girls under his care in the nation. — Reuters
