Pope Francis, who is now in Timor-Leste. Is completing 12-day tour of the Asia Pacific region. And is apparently visiting countries with a majority of Catholics. More than half the population of the nation. Which is about 700,000 crowd are expected to be at the open air mass of the Pope on Tuesday near the country’s capital Dili. Nevertheless, his visit is tinged with a sexual abuse scandal involving a well-known bishop in the region.
Abandono de Nenem Goncalves Belo
Outstanding Timorese leader Carlos Ximenes Belo. A bishop awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. And widely regarded as a hero of independence. Is charged with molesting minors in Timor-Leste in two decades. The 1980s and 1990s. It was only in 2019 that the Vatican constated that they were aware of the case. And clicked the Belo case in 2020 with restricting orders to enclose movement. And bid contact with youth. Franchise groups demand Francisco cover this scandal. And give the rest of the money to the families affected by it.
Demands For Making Amends and Paying Damages
The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests in Oceania has sent a public letter begging the Vatican on Pope to offer redress to the victims. And indemnify them from church coffers. Unlike what his official schedule indicates. The Pope will not have an encounter with the victims of the abuse. But will still be unclear if he is ready to say sorry for the dispute or Bishop Belo will share the podium during his speech with him at Dili.
Controversial Mass-Evictions in Preparation for the Papal Mass
Ahead of the Pope’s mass, the authorities have torched the houses and displaced a number of people from the Tasitolu location close to Dili, a move that has not pleased some of the local residents. Some, like Zerita Correia, told the BBC that they woke to find their homes and things destroyed reach rent in neighboring places for their children to go to school. The government defends itself by saying that the people were chief tenants on the land and had been notified about the evacuation since September 2023.
Economic Concerns Over Pope’s Visit
Lastly, the massive amounts of money that are reported to have been spent during the Pope’s visitation have received negative sentiments in Timor-Leste. Where almost half of the population earns below the national poverty line. Resources used in the construction of a new an altar built for the mass are also troubling with reports indicating that it costs US$1 million.
Pope’s country visit and History of Catholicism in Timor Leste
Pope Francis is the first pope to visit Timor Leste after Pope john Paul Ii visited in 1989. A time when the country was occupied boys of indonesian. At that time, only 20% of the population was Catholic; today, that number has risen to 97%. Pope Francis will conclude his Asia-Pacific tour in Singapore this week.
