In a scene of immense faith and historic significance, an estimated 600,000 people—nearly half of East Timor’s population—gathered at a seaside park on Tuesday for Pope Francis’ final Mass. This remarkable turnout, surpassing any previous papal event in terms of the proportion of the population participating, took place on the very field where St. John Paul II had prayed during the nation’s struggle for independence from Indonesia.
Tasitolu Park, once a site where Indonesian troops disposed of bodies during their 24-year rule, was transformed into a sea of yellow and white umbrellas, representing the colors of the Holy See flag, as Timorese shielded themselves from the afternoon sun. The anticipation for Francis’ arrival was palpable, with occasional bursts of cooling relief provided by water trucks spraying the field.
“We are very happy that the pope came to Timor because it gives a blessing to our land and our people,” expressed Dirce Maria Teresa Freitas, 44, who had traveled from Baucau, arriving at the field at 9 a.m., more than seven hours before the service began.
Tasitolu, now known as the “Park of Peace,” is home to a larger-than-life-sized statue of John Paul II, commemorating his 1989 visit. During that visit, the Polish pope condemned Indonesia for its human rights abuses and offered encouragement to the overwhelmingly Catholic Timorese faithful. John Paul’s visit played a crucial role in drawing international attention to the plight of the Timorese people and the oppressive nature of Indonesian rule, which claimed the lives of as many as 200,000 people over a quarter-century.
Pope Francis’ visit, two decades after East Timor achieved independence in 2002, served as a celebration of the nation’s progress and a call for continued growth. Despite being one of the poorest countries, with an estimated 42% of its 1.3 million people living below the poverty line, according to the U.N. Development Program, East Timor’s people hold a deep faith, a legacy rooted in the arrival of Portuguese explorers in the early 1500s. Today, approximately 97% of the population identifies as Catholic. The Timorese have eagerly welcomed the first pope to visit them as an independent nation.
Government authorities reported that 300,000 people had registered to attend the Mass through their dioceses, but President Jose Ramos-Horta anticipated a crowd of 700,000, with the Vatican predicting as many as 750,000 attendees. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni cited local organizers’ estimates, suggesting that 600,000 people were present in Tasitolu Park and the surrounding areas.
The devout faithful, lining up before dawn to enter the park, eight kilometers from downtown Dili, created a vibrant tapestry of anticipation. Hours before the service, the roads leading to the park were jammed with cars, trucks, and buses overflowing with people. Others, eager to witness the momentous occasion, opted to walk down the middle of the street, ignoring the sidewalks. Temperatures soared to 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit), feeling even hotter with the humidity exceeding 50%.
“For us, the pope is a reflection of the Lord Jesus, as a shepherd who wants to see his sheep, so we come to him with all our hearts as our worship,” remarked Alfonso de Jesus, who had also journeyed from Baucau, the country’s second-largest city. De Jesus, 56, was among the estimated 100,000 people who attended John Paul’s 1989 Mass, an event that garnered global attention due to a riot that erupted as it concluded.
John Paul II witnessed baton-wielding Indonesian plainclothes police clash with a group of young men who shouted “Viva a independência” and “Viva el Papa!” These young men, defying the Indonesian authorities, unfurled a banner in front of the altar and hurled chairs at the police. One banner read “Fretilin Welcomes You,” a clear reference to the independence movement that had been fighting against Indonesian rule since East Timor’s annexation in 1976, following Portugal’s dismantling of its colonial empire. Four women were reportedly hospitalized due to injuries sustained in the surging crowd, but the pope remained unharmed.
Amnesty International expressed concerns at the time, claiming that approximately 40 individuals had been detained and tortured, although Indonesian authorities denied any arrests or torture.
“The Mass was run very neat and orderly with very tight security,” De Jesus recalled more than three decades later, adding, “But it was crushed by a brief riot at the end of the event.”
Many reports at the time highlighted the plight of the Timorese people, quoting Dili Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo, who, along with Ramos-Horta, went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to peacefully resolve the Timorese conflict. However, Belo’s reputation has since been tarnished, at least outside of East Timor, after the Vatican revealed in 2022 that he had been sanctioned for sexually abusing young boys.
Now residing in Portugal and barred by the Vatican from any contact with East Timor, Belo’s historic role has been conspicuously absent from any official mention during Francis’ visit, despite the fact that ordinary Timorese continue to revere him as a hero.
Sister Maria Josefa, a nun from Cape Verde who has lived in Dili for five years, acknowledged that Francis was right to address the issue of “abuse” in general terms during his arrival in Dili on Monday, suggesting that his words were compassionate, even if he didn’t mention Belo by name. “Unfortunately, the church is made of saints and sinners, but the pope left it within the open that God does not allow for such practices,” she said. “We simply need to correct, to understand those who fell and also try to lift those who have endured such torture.”
Pope Francis expressed his admiration for East Timor’s progress since gaining independence, urging the nation to strengthen its public institutions and focus on supporting its most vulnerable citizens.
On Tuesday morning, Francis visited a home for disabled children run by a congregation of religious sisters. Young girls, including one without arms, presented him with a traditional woven shawl known as a tais. As he stroked the hand of a young boy named Silvano in a stroller, Francis stated that caring for children with such health needs “teaches us to care.” “As he allows himself to be cared for, we must learn to be cared for by God, who loves us,” Francis added.
