Half of East Timorese population joins Pope in Holy Mass
Half of the population of East Timor joined Pope Francis in the spiritual celebration of Holy Communion.
East Timor, a former Portuguese colony of 1.3 million people, is one of the most Catholic countries in Asia. Considering that East Timor lost about 103,000 people in its struggle for independence from Indonesia, the number of people who stood with Pope Francis in the capital, Dili, which has one of the largest Catholic populations, is very large.
According to the Vatican, about 96 percent of the people of East Timor are Catholic, making it possibly the most Catholic country in the world.
According to Reuters, 600,000 East Timorese people attended a prayer and mass with Pope Francis in a park commemorating the struggle for Indonesian independence. The crowd stayed for hours in 32-degree heat, with some children and women taken to hospital because they were in critical condition.
The solemn Mass was celebrated with the unity of the people of East Timor and the guidance of Pope Francis. East Timor is the third country that Pope Francis has visited on his tour of Southeast Asia.
