An estimated 600,000 people in East Timor turned out in the baking heat on Tuesday for a Mass with Pope Francis. This accounts for just under half its population. They gathered at a coastal park synonymous with the country’s long struggle for independence from Indonesia.
People arrived as early as 1 a.m. and sat on the ground. Many braved the sun for hours in temperatures as high as 32 degrees Celsius.
Many sheltered under umbrellas decorated in the white and yellow colours of the Vatican flag. Several others carried signs asking for blessings and sang local melodies. This is one of the largest ever turnouts as a proportion of a country’s population for a Mass during a papal visit.
Rev. Pedro Amaral, a priest, said he came with 800 of his parishioners from Zumalai, a village about 140 km (85 miles) away.
“I am so happy because we never thought we would see the pope,” said the priest.
School teacher Jamie Belo, 60, said he left home 12 hours before Mass to secure a spot to see the pope.
Former Portuguese colony East Timor is a half-island nation of 1.3 million people north of Australia and one of only two predominantly Catholic countries in Asia.
‘Teeming With Life’
East Timor lost at least 102,800 people in the 1975-99 conflict with Indonesia, according to the U.N. It now has a median age of 20, according to official estimates.
“How wonderful that here in Timor-Leste there are so many children!” Francis said during his homily for the Mass, looking out over the crowd.
“Indeed, you are a young country, and we can see every corner of your land teeming with life.”
The pope’s stop in East Timor is part of an ambitious 12-day, four-country tour across Southeast Asia and Oceania, his longest yet.
It is likely the most Catholic country in the world, with the Vatican saying about 96% of Timorese are adherents to the faith.
The 87-year-old pontiff, using a wheelchair due to knee and back pain, was often rolled near the rope lines outside his events.
People gathered around him, touched his hands, kissed his silver papal ring, or offered a tais, a traditional woven scarf, for him to wear. Dancers in feathered headdresses also played small drums.
The Mass featured readings in Portuguese, Tetum, and five other local languages. It is the largest papal event since Francis’ visit to Portugal last year for the Catholic Church’s World Youth Day festival.
