In a country where 98% of the population is Catholic, a visit from Pope Francis is an enormous honor and a very big deal for those who live there. In a country where 98% of the population is Catholic and where this population has faced colonization, strife, and a tumultuous path post-independence, the visit is a beam of hope and a signal of their faith. Pope Francis is on the third leg of his visits – stopping through Southeast Asia and Oceania. The last time that a pope visited Timor was in 1989 when St. John Paul II visited the country. At this time, Timor was still under Indonesian rule and was fighting a tough fight for its freedom. The Pope will be in East Timor for 3 days and will be participating in an open-air celebration that the Vatican predicts could have an attendance of over 650,000 (over half the population).  While the population of East Timor is small, any event that draws half of the population of an entire country must be for a reason. The culture and religion of southeast asian countries have always been held close and have been a key part of the culture and people. As we have discussed in class, most Southeast Asian countries have a national religion, and as we read last week, those who don’t are encouraged to unify religiously. In this region of the world where nearly all of the countries were subject to colonization or imperial rule, it prompts the question of if religion was so important as it was a greater power that could help them out of the situation they are in.

In the case of East Timor, when the pope came in 1989, he was welcomed with similar crowds. At this time, Timor was struggling for independence. Today, they are struggling to recover from achieving independence. I see this welcoming of a major religious figure as the Timorese people seeing what could help them with the issues they are facing. John Paul’s visit gave the independence movement a large boost so it could be inferred that the Pope’s visit in 2024 will give the visibility and a boost to the struggles that East Timor faces today. 

The population of East Timor has struggled with rebuilding its infrastructure and economy and the Timorese face incredibly low wages, malnutrition, and other struggles. On top of those, the Catholic church in Timor has faced abuse scandals on multiple fronts. The Pope did not denounce these men by name in his remarks but generalized that everything possible to allow a “healthy and peaceful childhood for all young people” should be done. This visit may have served as a beacon of hope and resilience to the population of Timor and hopefully opened some international eyes to what is happening in this small country. 

 

 

https://www.the-independent.com/news/pope-francis-ap-indonesian-vatican-papua-new-guinea-b2609295.html

https://reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pope-francis-arrives-east-timor-crowd-may-reach-750000-2024-09-09/#:~:text=DILI%2C%20Sept%209%20(Reuters),the%20population%20of%201.3%20million.