Catholics in East Timor welcome Pope Francis to their island ‘oasis’ of religious vocations

Pope Francis arriving at the meeting with bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons, seminarians and catechists in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Dili, East Timor, Sept. 10, 2024. / Vatican Media

Dili, East Timor, Sep 10, 2024 / 02:55 am (CNA).

In East Timor, a country where 98% of the population is Catholic, Pope Francis was met with great enthusiasm on Tuesday by local clergy and religious. 

About 600 clergy and religious crammed into the cathedral, and another 1500 faithful had flocked outside as religious sisters, priests, and bishops expressed gratitude for the Catholic country’s many vocations and vibrant religious life.

Among those gathered were religious sisters who serve the poor in the developing nation’s mountainous regions.

Speaking in the capital city of Dili’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Sept. 10, the pope encouraged those with religious vocations to preserve the faith of the Catholic country by never neglecting to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel.

“The Church exists to evangelize, and we are called to bring to others … the new life of the Gospel,” Francis said.

“The Gospel of Jesus has the power to transform … and generate a new society,” he added.

Pope Francis landed in East Timor, also called Timor-Leste, on Sept. 9 for the third leg of his 11-day trip to Southeast Asia and Oceania. Evangelization has been an essential theme of the journey, which has already brought him from the island nations of Indonesia to Papua New Guinea.

Lying off the northern coast of Australia, at the boundary between Asia and Oceania, East Timor is one of the world’s newest nations — it became a sovereign state in 2002. 

“For we know that at the heart of Christ, the existential peripheries are in fact the center. A Church that does not see the peripheries and hides in the center is a sick Church. But if a Church thinks of the peripheries and sends missionaries, the peripheries become the center,” the pope said.

Franciscan Capuchins Serving the Poor

Father Luan Le, a Franciscan Capuchin friar and missionary from Australia, has been serving in East Timor for ten years. He told CNA that the Capuchins primarily work with the poor, visiting villages to administer sacraments and care for the sick.

“Basic education and healthcare remain major challenges, especially in mountainous areas,” Le explained. “There’s a lack of medical clinics, doctors, nurses, and medicine in many places. People often rely solely on herbal medicine when they get sick.”

Describing the excitement surrounding the pope’s visit, Le said: “It’s a blessing for them. They see him as Christ’s vicar, and his presence brings blessing and grace to their families.”

Le expressed hope that the pope’s visit would promote peace, harmony, and development in education and healthcare. He also emphasized the need for employment opportunities for young people.

Reflecting on his missionary experience, Le contrasted life in Australia with East Timor: “Here, we lack many material things, but it’s a blessing because we’re closer to the people. You see the joy of the Gospel in their faces when you meet them.” 

Religious Orders Aid Development and Education

Many of the religious orders present in East Timor work with the poor in the developing country, where more than 40% of the population still live under the poverty line.

Mother Nunzia Da Silva Pachero is one of eight sisters from East Timor who entered the Missionaries of Charity since the arrival of Mother Teresa’s order in the new country in 2008.

“Our apostolate is to visit people and families, consecrating them to the Immaculate Heart, Sacred Heart, and Divine Mercy. We also assist sick families, bringing them to the city for medical treatment. When possible, we provide catechism, preparing people for the sacraments. Additionally, we visit prisoners and those with mental illnesses.”

When Hospitaller Sisters of Mercy arrived in East Timor, the sisters noticed that some girls who lived in the mountains had to walk three to four hours to attend school. The girls would make the long journey on foot, attend school for two hours, and then walk three to four hours home.

Although the Sisters of Mercy had to come to the impoverished island to care for the sick and malnourished children, Sister Paola Lacovone explained that they knew that they also needed to do something to help these girls, so they opened a dormitory to help girls pursue their education without needing to walk more than six hours each day.

The Hospitaller Sisters of Mercy, originally from Italy, have 25 sisters in East Timor and have been here since 2011.

The pontiff addressed Church leaders after listening to a welcome address by Bishop Norberto de Amaral, president of the local bishops’ conference, and testimonies from a religious sister, priest, and catechist.

Sister Rosa Sarmento, a Canossian Sister, highlighted East Timor’s status as the most Catholic country in Southeast Asia and “an oasis of priestly and religious vocations.” 

She noted that Timorese religious are now serving in other parts of the world, reversing the historical trend of European missionaries coming to Timor. 

Sister Rosa asked for the pope’s blessing “for our children, adolescents, young people, men, women, elderly and, in particular, the disabled, of whom there are many.”

Missionaries first brought the Catholic faith to the island of Timor in 1515. The eastern half of the island, the area that became East Timor, was a Portuguese colony for centuries before being invaded and occupied by the neighboring country of Indonesia in 1975. After almost three decades of struggle, East Timor achieved independence in 2002.

Saved by the cassock

Father Sancho Amaral, a 68-year-old diocesan priest with 39 years of service, shared his experience helping the Timorese independence movement. He recounted a pivotal moment in 1991 when he assisted Chief Commander Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão — who currently serves as Prime Minister — in traveling from Dili to the village of Ossu. The two men narrowly avoided detection by the Indonesian military when stopped at a checkpoint. 

“At this point, as I was wearing my cassock, I rolled down the car window with my left arm out, my face sullen and unfriendly, and asked: ‘Ada apa?’, that is, why did you stop us? But when the soldiers realized I was a priest, they let us pass. So, the cassock, as the garment of priestly identity, saved us from danger,” Amaral said.

The priest emphasized how God protects those called to mission, even in times of war, adding: “Today I can be here to give my witness of life, because God loves me and cares for me.”

A third witness, Florentino de Jesus Martins — an 89-year-old catechist — shared his lifelong commitment to the Church. He began as a catechist in 1956 and served for 56 years, including in mission stations and other locations, for the diocese of Dili. 

Lacking modern transport, Martins recounted how he “often had to walk from six to ten kilometers in order to catechize.” 

“Along the way, I sometimes faced challenges such as rain and strong wind, or overnight stays during the journey. Despite the challenges, I was never discouraged and I continued to work with the utmost responsibility, zeal and devotion.”

Although he retired in 2017 due to health issues, Martins still supports and advises other catechists.

The sandalwood and the fragrance of Christ

In his address, Pope Francis said just as Mary of Bethany — the sister of Martha and Lazarus — anointed the feet of Jesus with perfume, Catholics are called to preserve and spread the fragrance of Christ and his Gospel.

“Dear friends, you are the fragrance of Christ,” he said, pointing out the country’s abundant growth of fragrant, highly-valued sandalwood and connecting it to the bonum odor Christi.

“Like a sandalwood tree, evergreen and strong, which grows and produces fruit, you are missionary disciples who bear the fragrance of the Holy Spirit in order to ‘intoxicate’ the lives of others,” Francis said.

The pontiff warned the audience of falling into “lukewarm spiritual mediocrity,” rather than faithfully preserving the fragrance of Christ.

“We [Catholics] rightly look back with gratitude on our preceding history, to the seed of faith sown here,” the pope said, praising the witnesses who had just spoken to the gathering. 

“But is this enough? In reality, we must always fan the flame of faith,” Pope Francis stressed, explaining this means deepening knowledge of Christian doctrine, purification in the light of the Gospel, and spiritual growth.

East Timor, “rooted in a long Christian history, also needs a renewed impetus toward evangelization, so that the Gospel’s fragrance may reach everyone, a fragrance of reconciliation and peace after suffering years of war; a fragrance of compassion, which will help the poor get back on their feet and inspire a renewed commitment to revive the economic and social wellbeing of the country; a fragrance of justice against corruption,” he added.

“Be careful about corruption,” the pope said.

Francis also urged local Catholics to counter the suffering of alcoholism and violence and overcome any disrespect for the dignity of women with the fragrance of the Gospel.

“The Gospel of Jesus has the power to transform these dark realities and generate a new society,” he said.

In closing, the pope appealed to all those gathered in the Cathedral of Dili, saying, “Do not be discouraged! As Father Sancho reminded us in his moving testimony, ‘God knows how to take care of those he has called and sent on his mission’. As Father Sancho reminded us today in his moving testimony, ‘God knows how to care of those he has called and sent on his mission.”

Hannah Brockhaus in Rome contributed to this report.