More than 600,000 people attended the Pope’s Mass in Dili, the capital of East Timor. The pontiff called on the local Church to take action against sexual abuse.
It is a visit that was highly anticipated in this country where 98% of the population is Catholic. After Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, the Pope is visiting Dili, the capital of East Timor.
During his mass, he called for prevention “any form of abuse” sexual abuse in the local Church, which is facing a pedophilia scandal.
“We must not forget all those children and adolescents whose dignity has been violated. This phenomenon appears everywhere in the world. We are all called to act responsibly to prevent any type of abuse and ensure the peaceful growth of our young people.”declared the sovereign pontiff.
Before the Pope’s arrival in East Timor, the capital underwent a renovation estimated at more than 10 million euros.
More than 600,000 people, almost half of the country’s population, turned out to listen to the pontiff’s mass.
But the attendance record is held by Manila in the Philippines, where the Pope’s mass in 2015 brought together six million people.
The Pope’s tour of Asia Pacific will end in Singapore, where the pontiff is expected on Wednesday.