DILI: Catholic majority East Timor on Tuesday began seven days of national mourning to mark the death of Pope Francis, with people gathering for prayers and flags flying at half-mast across the Asian nation.
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 on Tuesday.
More than 97% of East Timor 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 East Timor’s 1.3 million population - turned out to see Francis last year during his 12-day visit to Asia and Oceania.
One of those who attended last year’s Mass in the capital Dili, Hermenegildo Oliveira, 29, said he was privileged to have seen the pontiff during what was his longest and most ambitious tour.
“That (event) happens once in a lifetime. That made me proud. I got to see his eyes,” he said, adding Francis had an impact on people, including the poor.
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A procession took place on Tuesday from the Balide Parish Church to the Mother Mary Lecidere Park, where dozens prayed.
One member of the procession also carried a large cut-out of a seated Francis. Dili’s cathedral will hold a Mass requiem for Francis later in the day.
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 East Timor 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 East Timor.
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